The Longest Night
by kattafre6611
Summary: My version of what happens after Stefan's disappearance; set after 2#22; to save Stefan, Damon and Elena have to visit a foreign world, and they need to trust each other... Delena!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: This is my story about what happens after 2#22. I know there are a lot of S3 fics; but I had this thing in my mind since May, and it continuously whispered "write me!". Eventually I gave in.

Here it is.

Oh, I'm not a native speaker; so if it's a bit rocky sometimes, or you wonder about my choice of words - don't hesitate to tell me; I can take it...and I'm a teacher, so you can use it as the perfect opportunity for payback...

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

_Here it comes ready or not_

_We both found out it's not how we thought_

_._

It Is What It Is by Lifehouse

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><p>.<p>

She was gone.

Just like that.

Leaving them behind with a few phrases she had thrown into the room like crumbs for pigeons.

And with the cure.

Elena woke out of the numbness Katherine's words had caused and noticed that she was staring at Damon without seeing him. The expression she saw on his face now mirrored her own feelings. It was then when reality hit her: the cure! Katherine had brought a cure. Damon didn't have to die. He would live … or something like that.

Pushing thoughts about everything else aside for the moment, she rushed back to the bed and sat down on the edge, laying one hand gently on Damon's hand, cupping his face with the other hand.

"How do you feel?" she asked him, fear still audible in her voice. Damon, who was lying propped on his elbows, tried hard to remain in this position, anxious not to lose that feeling of her hand on his face. He was well aware that things between the both of them had changed during the last few hours. Only he could not in the slightest predict what this would mean for the future he suddenly - and unexpectedly from his part – had gained. He couldn't tell whether the girl's hand on his face would be something repeated later or not, but he could tell that he would miss it the moment it was gone. Unfortunately the damned bite had weakened him to such an extent that his arms began to tremble and he fell on his back again. But – the hand stayed put.

"Better" he said. His voice was still low, but to Elena's relief it sounded stronger than a few minutes ago. Their gazes met, and she smiled.

"Do you need anything?"

Damon closed his eyes, briefly contemplating to take his chances to savor her do-gooder attitude, for once offered to him, a little longer; then deciding that it wouldn't do any harm, he looked into her eyes again, took a deep breath and said: "Would you just…stay a while?"

Her smile widened, and without thinking further she moved to slip onto the bed again, resting her head on his shoulder, still holding his hand, now lying in exactly the same position as before. And, like before, tears began to fall, leaving small wet stains on Damon's shirt. "You will live. I'm glad" she whispered

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><p>.<p>

"Jer!" Jeremy turned, but there was no one to be seen. So he turned back and his eyes widened in genuine surprise.

She stood just a few feet away from him. It wasn't possible. But she did. Damon had seen her dying months ago. John had driven a stake through her heart. It was not possible to survive that, and Damon had _seen_ it. And he surely knew what he was talking about. However, she stood there and watched him.

Anna. Dead Anna. Uh…_dead_ dead Anna.

He stared at her for a moment, then his brain booted up again. The voice he had heard hadn't been hers. He turned once again into the other direction and riiight…another dead girl stood there. Vicky. As dead as Anna. He himself had seen that Stefan had staked her to protect him and his sister. Yeah, okay, he didn't remember that, but Elena did. And Damon _was he _always _involved with his dead girlfriends?_ had buried her. So they definitely were both dead. But nevertheless they both stood there in his hallway.

"Anna? Vicky?" he asked incredulous. Neither of them answered; instead a male voice came from the living room.

"Jeremy? Everything okay?"

"Uh…" Jeremy cast a glance to the door frame of the living room where Alaric was crashing on the couch.

Obviously not sleeping anymore in spite of the booze, clearly a sign of how worried he was about Jeremy's death-and-return, Ric stood up and went over to his dead girlfriend's nephew. "Jer?"

Jeremy looked around in the now completely girl-empty hallway.

"I'm fine. Just, uh, thirsty." He turned and went over to the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a carton with orange juice. "Want some?"

When Ric nodded, he took two glasses from the cabinet, filled them with juice and reached one of them over to his…history teacher. They stood and drank in silence, until Jeremy came to a decision.

"Ric? Do you believe in ghosts?" he asked cautiously.

Alaric, who had been deep in thoughts about Jenna, jumped at that question. He contemplated for a moment.

"We live in Mystic Falls."

"Yeah."

Narrowing his eyes, Ric eyed Jeremy warily. "Have you seen one?"

"Actually two."

"Huh."

"Funny thing is… they are both ex-girlfriends of mine."

"Anna and…"

"Vicky."

"I wonder how Bonnie will feel about that."

Jeremy took a step closer. "Please, Ric, don't tell anybody." Alaric glanced at him and didn't say a word. Jeremy shifted, feeling uncomfortable about the thought of leaving this as a secret, and he knew exactly that Ric wouldn't like that either. But he could imagine all hell breaking loose if Bonnie, and even more Elena, was being told that he was haunted by his two exes. "At least not yet. Everyone deserves a break, Ric," he pleaded.

Alaric nodded, not knowing, of course, that all hell would break loose anyway.

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><p>.<p>

Damon woke up slowly. It took him a few moments to realize that it was no waking up as usual, even though he was lying in his bed as usual. And yet not as usual, because he wasn't lying here alone. The weight on his shoulders, the hand clutching his proved it. He wondered briefly who it could be, sharing his bed with him. And why. He shifted his head just enough to see, that it was – Elena. On his shoulder. Holding his hand. And then suddenly he remembered the night before and everything that had led to this night. Every single event concerning the sacrifice rushed back to his mind, and the memory brought guilt with it. But the miracle had happened, Elena had forgiven him. _And_ she had kissed him. Granted, it was a deathbed kiss, and he could easily chalk that up to a gift for a dying man. Even if it was nothing more – and he had his doubts about that – after everything he had done to her, she had decided to stay with him, trying to comfort him and give him everything necessary to die in peace. And what was even more, she didn't leave after he had been cured either; instead, she actually came into his bed _again_. And he wasn't dying anymore.

Damon didn't dare to move. Closing his eyes again, he just enjoyed the heart warming feeling of Elena nestled up against him. He could have lied like this forever. Unfortunately, after way to short time, she shifted slightly, her breathing changed and a minute later she opened her eyes. She looked up at Damon's face, and their eyes met.

"Morning sunshine!" he smiled at her.

"Is it? Morning?" Elena yawned.

Damon nodded. "Looks like sun's coming up right now." Elena squeezed his hand gently. "How are you feeling now?"

"Hungry" he said.

Elena froze. Just for a split second, but of course Damon noticed all the same and frowned. Was she afraid of him? Why? She _knew_ that he would never feed on her, didn't she? He gave her a puzzled look.

"Something wrong with that?"

"What? No! Nothing," she answered a little too quick, sat up and got off the bed. "I go and get you some blood bags, okay?" and with these words she hurriedly left the room. Damon watched her irritated, but decided to push that awkward feeling aside for now and focus on how he was really feeling physically. Not too bad anyway. The unbearable pain was gone. He tried to sit up, but his head started spinning immediately, so he let the thought of standing up drop and lay back again.

Instead he listened to the noises in the house, mainly Elena rummaging in the kitchen. One minute later she came back to his room, holding a tumbler where she had poured blood in. She sat down on his bed and placed the tumbler on the night stand. Damon began to sit up again, and like before his head started spinning, so like before he lay down again, groaning annoyed.

"What?" Elena gave him a worried look.

"It's nothing" he shrugged. She tilted her head aside, eyes wide with sorrow. "It's just…my head's spinning when I sit up" Damon admitted. He hated being weak like that. Then again…When Elena helped him to lift his head and shoved more pillows beneath to steady it, he couldn't avoid enjoying having her near, caring about him. Hell, he had nearly died; he deserved to feel a bit weak if it included having this beautiful caring nurse by his side.

When he reached for the tumbler, he noticed that it was warm.

"You warmed it up?" he asked her stunned. Right, he had heard the 'bing' of the microwave, but hadn't thought about it.

"Of course, you prefer it like this, don't you?" She looked a little insecure about his reaction. He gazed at her for a long moment and got a warm feeling around his heart.

"Thanks" he then simply said and began to drink the blood. Elena watched him until the tumbler was empty. Then she grabbed it from his hand, put it back on the nightstand and reached for his left hand.

"Show me…" she demanded. He tucked up the sleeve, and both stared at the place the horrible wound had been at a few hours ago. Now all that was left was a slightly discolored skin, just a shimmer of red. Elena let out a breath she hadn't been aware that she was holding. Carefully she touched the healed skin with her fingertips and smiled at him. Damon took her hand in his right hand, placed a gentle kiss on it and lifted his eyes to meet hers. He wanted to tell her so many things; how grateful he was that she had found him; that she had been willing to share his last moments with him, knowing the danger she put herself in; the extent of relief he had been feeling when she forgave him; the delight he felt right now, because she was still here, still caring about him; but despite the length of his feelings he would like to express, all he managed to say in a hoarse voice were two little words. Yet, he could see it in her eyes, she understood.

"Thank you."

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><p>.<p>

Caroline watched her mother leaving the Grill. She felt exhausted. For hours they'd been talking. _She_ had been talking; her mom mostly had just been listening, only asking a question for better understanding from time to time. Liz had been very quiet, but she never had been a woman of many words anyways. Caroline on the other hand definitely was a girl of many words; so tonight they had been the perfect pair. She surely had forgotten about some details, but the most important facts had been told. Now she only could hope that her mother would come around, but Liz had assured her that Caroline could trust her. And Caroline did so. She wanted to trust her mother. She was so tired of lying and hiding.

Caroline checked her cell phone for news about Damon, but there were none. She really hoped that Stefan would find a cure; Damon had changed during the last months, she actually almost liked him; and she knew how important he was for Elena. She above all didn't deserve losing another person.

Not to mention that he'd been saving _her_ life when he got bitten by Tyler.

She downed her drink, took her purse and left. She didn't want to go home now, so she walked through the night. She hadn't been aware of where she was walking, until she found herself standing in front of the Lockwood mansion. She looked up at the window of Tyler's room and found it open. And suddenly she knew, this was exactly what she needed.

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><p>.<p>

Damon had showered and put on a fresh buttoned shirt and dark jeans. His head was not spinning anymore, but he still felt weak. He didn't want to admit it, but Elena knew it all the same and didn't want to leave him alone while he showered, so she had changed the sheets on his bed to have an excuse for staying in his room.

Now they were sitting on the sofa in the parlor in front of the fireplace. He'd had two more blood bags and was now downing his second bourbon. He grabbed her feet and placed them on his lap. He felt strong enough now to take matters in his hands, and so he said out loud what both of them were thinking of all along: "I'll find him."

"No" Elena said firmly, "_we_ will find him, Damon. No way in hell you try to do _anything_ on your own."

Damon let out a sigh. "Look Elena" he said, "I understand that you'd do everything to get Stefan back, but I'm not willing to let you put yourself in danger anymore. With everything going on, it was unavoidable that you were involved and in danger the whole time. You survived, thank god, and for you it's over now."

Elena felt anger rising up in her throat, but she swallowed it down. "No, Damon, _you_ don't understand. I _am_ still involved. It's my boyfriend, and you are my friend. If you go all on your own trying to rescue him and you die…what will be left for me then?" She paused briefly. "I don't have a death wish and I won't go on any suicide mission. I don't want to be the one who's calling the shots. I want us to work together, figure something out to save Stefan _together_. I even want to ask the others for help too, although I know I put them in danger. I know it will be a difficult task to find and save Stefan, and you and I need all the help we can get. I know they wouldn't stay away from that mission anyway, just like I wouldn't. And for anyone it's much safer to work in a team than to work alone. So, no, you will _not_ do it on your own, Damon. You're stuck with me in this."

He held her gaze, contemplating what she had just said. He knew she was right; there was no way to avoid danger. Saving Stefan meant standing against the mightiest being that ever had walked the earth. Even if they worked all together, they would be ridiculously outnumbered. Stubborn as she was, Elena would go with or without him; and if she was with him, he could at least protect her.

He took a deep breath and asked: "Who should we call first then?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Thank you for the amount of alerts, and a special thanks to those who took the time to review! I'm glad you liked it so far!

Here it goes, enjoy!

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><p>.<p>

**Chapter 2**

_I dream of dreaming dreams of you _

_But nightmares always block the view_

_I can't sleep_

_._

Beauty Of The Dark by Mads Langer

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><p>.<p>

They had called, and everyone came.

Alaric, not saying much, looking at Damon, relief that he was obviously healed evident on his face, pouring himself immediately a double shot bourbon. Bonnie, having dark circles under her eyes, clutching several grimmoires. Jeremy, pale faced, but loudly greeting Damon and telling him how glad he was to find him alive. Caroline with Tyler in tow, like Elena had asked for on the phone. Tyler, looking embarrassed at Damon until he heard him saying to forget about it.

Everyone took a seat in the parlor and waited.

Elena watched the group of her loved ones; now that everyone was here, it became even more evident that one person was missing, and she felt her stomach twisting about that thought. Damon, still standing beside the fireplace, saw the change of expression on her face and clenched his teeth; he knew exactly what caused this change, because he felt the same; he would have liked to take her in his arms to comfort her, instead he went over to the couch she was sitting on and settled down beside her. He gave her shoulder just a gentle squeeze to show her that he understood and was there. When he turned to watch the others, he became suddenly aware that everyone was watching him, waiting for an explanation for the gathering. _When have _I_ become the leader of the pack? Stefan, you stupid idiot…_

Cursing inwardly, he cleared his throat. "Okay then, everyone's here, so …"

He was interrupted by Caroline. "Not yet everyone, Stefan's still missing." Her words provoked an awkward silence. Damon and Elena exchanged a look, and Elena shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, that's the point," Damon said eventually, "Stefan's MIA."

"What? What does that mean, he's MIA?" Bonnie wanted to know.

Elena braced herself, taking a deep breath, and told them, "Damon was dying." Everyone nodded; that was hardly news flash.

"It was…I thought already…," she swallowed and decided to rephrase. "Then Katherine showed up with the cure. I knew that Stefan wanted to go to Klaus to try and get a cure, so I asked her where he was."

She looked at Damon and noticed that he had closed his eyes for a moment. As if he felt her gaze on him, he opened them up again and gave her a reassuring nod, so she went on, "She said Stefan had to pay for the cure. He gave himself over to Klaus."

The following silence was deafening. Alaric interrupted it by asking, "What for?"

Damon shrugged. "I'm guessing not for doing each other's hair."

"We have no idea. But we think," Elena went on, "that he doesn't want to kill him. Not right now at least. When he wanted to change places with…" she trailed off, bit back the tears suddenly threatening to spill and rephrased for the second time. "Klaus had the chance to kill him during the sacrifice. But he told him he had other plans for him."

They began to discuss different possibilities of what Klaus might want to do with Stefan, but none of it was very convincing. After a while Ric held his hands up as a sign for silence.

"We still have no clue, and I think right now it doesn't help to come up with more and more cruelties Klaus could do to Stefan."

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, we better try to devise a plan to rescue him."

"Great, Blondie, any ideas?" Damon growled.

Caroline flashed Damon a glance and simply said, "Bonnie."

Everyone turned to Bonnie and looked expectantly at her. Bonnie shifted. "What? You expect me to have a spell to beam Stefan to the boarding house? I'm not Scotty!" Then her gaze fell on Elena's face, and she sighed. "Okay, what about starting with a locator spell? I don't know if it works on vampires too, but I could at least try." She turned to Damon. "Could you bring me a map and something that belongs to Stefan? And I'll need some of your blood."

Damon stood up and went to the library. Elena jumped to her feet and turned to the stairs. „I'll get something of Stefan's"

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><p>.<p>

Bonnie had tried.

With every spell she could think of. Nothing had happened. At least nothing helpful.

The first spell she had tried was the one she had used when Rose had kidnapped Elena. She had used Damon's blood, but the drops simply hadn't moved at all. The next one she'd tried had made the drops vanish. After a short argument about the dangerousness of entering Stefan's mind she'd cast the spell, but she couldn't reach him; it had been as if she'd been running against a wall, so she'd guessed, that Klaus had had a witch block him against witchcraft. Jeremy then had found a spell in one of the grimmoires to try and break the blocking, but obviously that spell didn't fit.

Eventually Bonnie sighed and stated, "I'm running out of possibilities here. I should go home. I have to look through the grimmoires I left there."

Jeremy took her hand and held it in his own. "I'm coming with and help you. You're tired anyway, you need to rest, and if I'm not watching over you, you'll work through the night." Bonnie smiled at him, nodded and embraced the others for a Good Night. Caroline and Tyler had already left earlier; Caroline had promised her mother to answer remaining questions, and Tyler wanted to give her a ride.

Alaric had been invited by Damon to use one of the guestrooms, and he had gratefully accepted; neither of them could bear the thought of Ric sleeping in the apartment possessed by Klaus for the last days. He had downed another shot, wished a good night and gone to sleep.

That left just the two of them, sitting side by side on the couch again. Elena stood up, went to the liquor table and poured herself bourbon into a tumbler. Damon watched her silently and snatched her feet again when she came back to the couch to put them on his lap. Since when did she drink any booze? Except for their trip to Atlanta, he had never seen her drinking alcohol at all.

For a few minutes, neither of them said a word. They were both frustrated about how little success the day had brought. However, both of them seemed to tear strength out of the presence of the other. It was a comfortable silence between them, somehow soothing, although either of them thought about what had happened the night before. Damon took a sip of his bourbon and put the tumbler on the coffee table in front of him. He reached over to Elena, brushed carefully a streak of brown hair aside and caressed the two tiny wounds at her neck. Elena stiffened slightly and glanced at him, insecurity appearing on her face.

"I saw those earlier. They can't be of the sacrifice anymore, right?" he demanded in a low voice. Nearly imperceptibly Elena shook her head, keeping his eyes locked now. Damon's eyes widened a little.

"Did I …?" he asked barely audible.

Elena put her feet back to the ground and took his hand in hers. "You didn't want to hurt me," she said gently. For a split second she saw the truth dawning on his face before it hardened and he abruptly stood up and turned to the liquor table. But he didn't pour himself another drink; he just stood there, hiding.

After a moment he spoke in a hoarse voice. "No," he said, "I _never_ wanted to hurt you!"

Elena followed him until she stood behind him. She gently placed her hand on his back. She could feel his body tense underneath her fingers. "I know," she said.

All of a sudden, Damon turned to her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close in a fierce embrace. Elena could feel his body shiver, wrapped her arms around him, too and leaned her head against his shoulder. They stood a long time like that.

Eventually he spoke again. "I could've killed you."

She pulled away, just as far as she needed to catch his gaze. "Yes," she said, "but you didn't."

He looked down in her eyes, cupped her face with both hands and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Then he nodded, took her hand and led her back to the couch, snatching her feet again, putting them in his lap.

Jeremy lay in Bonnie's bed fast asleep. Suddenly he woke with a start, sitting up straight, wondering what it was that had woken him up. Bonnie still slept soundly beside him, although he knew that she was a light sleeper. There – he heard a hushed sound from downstairs. He stood up, anxious to make no noise, and sneaked out of the room. He turned to the staircase and carefully climbed down. He followed whispering voices to the kitchen and entered the room. He found immediately what he had hoped for and was afraid to find likewise; Anna and Vicky standing near the sink. They stopped whispering when he entered the kitchen and stared at him with an odd expression on their face. Then Anna straightened, lifted her chin and said, "Hi Jer."

Jeremy couldn't say anything. He really had hoped that they simply had been a figment of imagination. Obviously his imagination wasn't that creative. He was absolutely certain that he wasn't dreaming right now, so these two what-ever-they-were were real. He braced himself for the first of many questions.

"What are you?"

"Hey," Vicky exclaimed, "is that everything coming to your mind when we finally meet again? What happened to the boy who wanted to leave town with me?"

"Uh…" Jeremy looked stunned

"You tried to kill him, remember?" Anna cut in.

Before Vicky could bring up a fight between the girls, Jeremy raised his hands. "Hey, easy! Seriously, what are you? Because actually you're...uh…dead, right?"

"Yeah, unfortunately that's true," Anna confirmed.

Jeremy had the feeling that he really should be afraid, but, strange enough, he wasn't. He just was…happy to see them both again. Even if it _was_ weird to meet them at Bonnie's house of all places. "How are you?"

"We're trapped," Vicky scolded.

"What does that mean?"

"We can not enter the last world. We're trapped between your world and our real destination. Someone seems to think that we have still a purpose here after all," Anna explained seriously.

"What kind of purpose?" Jeremy asked baffled.

"That's where you come in." Vicky shrugged her shoulders and gave him a look as if he now should know what was going on. However, the big question mark that was Jeremy's face right now showed clearly that he was still completely clueless. Anna looked from one to the other, sighed and turned to Jeremy.

"Look, Jer, something has happened a few days ago. There was a very strong quiver in the balance of nature, and you and your friends obviously had been involved. It seems that one supernatural being had become much too strong, the balance has been inclined. It has to be restored, and your friends are the ones who have to do it."

Jeremy frowned. "I still don't see where I come in."

"Apparently we are supposed to guide you. Since you are the only one who can actually see us."

Jeremy closed his eyes in annoyance. Great. Now he had to play Melinda Gordon, of all things. He sighed.

"I'll go wake up Bonnie. She should hear that."

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><p>.<p>

Damon knew it would hurt her.

He cringed inwardly, but she needed to know. He took a sip of his booze, squeezed her feet on his lap gently and caught her gaze.

"Elena," he began softly, "there's something we should talk about. You won't like it."

Elena glanced cautiously at him, seeking his face for any hints, but didn't find one, except the fact, that he obviously didn't like at all what he was about to say.

"What is it?" she forced herself to ask.

"Stefan," Damon said simply.

"But… we're talking about Stefan all day long. What do you mean?"

"No, we were talking about the save-saint-Stefan mission. We didn't talk about what happens to him right now."

Elena frowned. "Do you know what happens to him? Why Klaus took him?" she asked bewildered.

"No, of course not. I mean, I don't know why the werepire bastard took him. But there's one thing I'm quite sure of, and that alone is bad enough." He paused briefly, took a deep breath and held her gaze. "Stefan's probably back on human blood by now."

_Stefan's back on human blood._ She remembered when she had heard that sentence once. It was the day of the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, and like today, it had been Damon who had said it. She would never forget the following days and everything that happened. Elena had the feeling as if an icy fist clutched her heart. She stared at him wide eyed.

"Oh my God," she whispered. She hadn't thought about that at all, but she knew immediately that he was right. Klaus would never allow Stefan to go hunting animals; this image was downright ridiculous. Then something occurred to her, and she added hopefully, "He drank my blood every day, Damon. Shouldn't that protect him from falling off the wagon?"

"Elena, that was only a few drops every day, wasn't it? That for sure helped him building up more strength, and it might slow down the process now, but sure as hell it doesn't protect him from falling off the wagon over the long haul." He took her hand and held it gently in both of his own hands. "I couldn't predict how long it will take, but eventually he _will_ lose his humanity."

Elena tried to question his statement. "How do you even know that?"

"I know it because I've witnessed it more than once," he replied quietly.

At that Elena fell silent for a while. When she spoke again, her voice was pleading. "But back then we helped him together to embrace his humanity again, haven't we? Surely we could do it again?"

"I don't object to that; we _will_ help him. But compared to this time, the last time will appear like a walk on the beach. You should know that. And you should know that until then, he will probably do many horrible things you can not even think are possible. And if you really want to be there when we save him, you need to be prepared for the worst you've ever seen. Are you sure you can do it?"

"Damon, I have seen so many bad things…"

"No," he cut her off, "nothing like that. When Stefan gives in to his bloodlust, he is consumed by it. It's not only about hunting and killing; it's about taking pleasure in it, enjoying it immensely to destroy in the worst imaginable ways. We call that a true ripper, and there's a reason for it." He paused, watching Elena swallowing. "I'm so sorry, Elena, that I have to tell you all this. But you need to know for making the decision whether or not you're coming with me once we have a lead."

Damon watched her cautiously and he felt his heart aching for the pain he caused her. He saw her gaze dropping to the floor and, still holding her hand, he felt her trembling. They sat like that for quite a while. When she lifted her gaze again, he saw determination on her face and her voice was fierce when she told him, "I can do that."

"I know," he replied softly.

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><p>.<p>

They remained in the parlor, settled on the couch together, although it was late at night; neither of them had any intention to go to sleep, because that would imply to stay alone; and neither of them wanted _that_.

After about an hour of talking about anything but Stefan, curled up on the couch, Elena was beyond tired, and without even noticing, her head slipped on Damon's shoulder. Damon however noticed. He glanced at her face and saw her eyes slipping shut and heard her breathing evening; she was falling asleep. Scooping her up gently, he carried her upstairs. He pushed the door to one of the guest rooms open to lay her down on the bed.

"Damon," she murmured suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Would you…could I sleep in your bed? Please? I… don't want to be alone right now."

"If you steal the comforter, I throw you out," he threatened.

A soft smile scurried over her face. "I thought you were a gentleman," she teased.

He grinned. "Not when it comes down to the comforter."

He placed her on his bed, pulled her shoes out and tucked her in. Then he pulled out his own boots and lay down on his back near her. As soon as he was in bed, Elena snuggled against him, laying her head on his shoulder, just like the night before. Damon wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her a little closer.

_I really could get used to that,_ he thought before drifting into a deep and sound sleep.

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><p>.<p>

_Darkness. _

_All she could see was the darkness surrounding her. It wasn't the darkness that made her feel blind. It was more...evil. As if everywhere around something was lurking, waiting for the right moment to attack. She was scared. She turned and looked everywhere to find something helpful. But there was nothing. _

_Suddenly there was…something. It was a shadow of a ... man? She focused. Yes, it was a familiar shadow of a man she knew very well. _

"_Damon?" she asked cautiously. The man didn't move, yet he came closer. She tried it once again, only dared to whisper this time. "Damon?" The moment the name left her mouth, she knew it was a mistake. It wasn't Damon. If it were him, she would have felt save. _

_But she didn't. The opposite was true. She felt...threatened. The shadow of the man still coming closer was …evil. Why was it so familiar then? And then, all of a sudden, she knew who it was. _

_Stefan. _

_Relief flooded through her body. It was her boyfriend; she was safe. _

"_Stefan, help me," she said. He didn't move. "Stefan?" she pleaded once again. At this, he turned to her, and now she could see his face; it was illuminated by his dark, red glowing eyes, and the same moment she knew – it was death._

_She screamed..._

She screamed. It was a blood curdling scream, and Damon woke up, startled. He looked down at Elena shaking in his arm, her face masked with terror. She clearly had a nightmare. He shook her by her shoulder, gently at first, then more forcefully when she didn't react.

"Elena! Elena, wake up! You're having a nightmare! Wake up!" Finally her eyes popped open. She stared at him, shock and horror in her eyes.

"Shh, Elena, it's me, Damon. It was just a nightmare. It's over now. I'm right here. You're safe now, Elena," he soothed, stroking her hair.

"Damon?" she asked in a shaky voice. When she realized that it was really Damon holding her, tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks.

"Do you remember what it was?" he asked her cautiously.

"Stefan," she choked out.

"Oh," he said in a low voice. "I understand."

"No, Damon, you don't understand," she sobbed, "he was … _pure evil_!"

Damon glanced at her, understanding, worry and compassion in his face. Without a word, he pulled her closer and cupped her face, caressing her until she fell asleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Thank you for the amount of alerts, and a special thanks to those who took the time to review! I'm glad you liked it so far!

Here it goes, enjoy!

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* * *

><p>.<p>

**Chapter 3**

_._

_Feel like I'm tryin' to breathe under water_

_Tryin' to climb but I keep fallin' farther_

_Will you take my hand?_

_._

I Need To Know by Kris Allen

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><p>.<p>

Unfortunately, the night ended way too soon.

Dawn had just begun when Damon's cell phone started to buzz. For a short moment, briefly glancing at Elena's head on his shoulder, he contemplated to ignore it. Then he sighed, well aware of the fact that it was probably important and unavoidable considering the time it was buzzing, and snatched it out of his pocket and answered it.

"What?"

"We should meet," he heard Bonnie's voice. "Can we all come over?" Her voice softened; she knew everyone was tired. She was, anyway. "We'll call the others, and we'll bring donuts, okay?"

Too tired for any snarky comment, he said, "Give us half an hour."

He plunged the cell back in his pocket and glanced at Elena again, brushing a streak of hair out of her face, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She didn't move at all. So he took his chances, taking the necessity to wake her up as a good excuse for caressing her cheek and, like the day before, greeted her, "Good morning, sunshine." No response at all. At that, he let the attempt to wake her drop for now and pulled her a little closer instead, choosing to enjoy the feeling of her lying in his arm, just for a while. After two minutes, however, he started again to caress her cheek, this time going on until she eventually woke up.

"I'm sorry, Elena, Bonnie called. In about twenty minutes, the whole Scooby gang will be gathered downstairs. We really should get up and refresh ourselves a little. They're bringing donuts," he added to lighten her mood, just as Bonnie had done with him a few minutes ago.

Elena stretched and rubbed her eyes; she was still incredibly tired.

"You know what?" Damon announced. "If Bonnie wants us to assemble that early, that probably means she found something!" Elena sat up and threw him a glance, excitement in her eyes. All of a sudden, she jumped out of the bed and vanished into the bathroom.

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><p>.<p>

Like the day before, everyone was present. They had had a short breakfast with a lot of coffee and each one of them had settled on one of the various couches and armchairs around the fireplace where, as usual, a fire crackled.

Like the day before, all eyes went to Damon to speak first.

"Okay, guys, why do we have to meet at dawn? Not that I don't appreciate sunrises, but I definitely prefer them to happen without my attendance."

Like the day before, Caroline pointed out, "Bonnie?"

This time, Bonnie was prepared. She rose from the couch she had been curled up on, leaning against her boyfriend, suppressed a yawn and started pacing in front of the fireplace.

"Well, we might have found a way to find Stefan."

Elena took in a sharp breath, flashed a glance toward Damon and focused on Bonnie again.

"Clarify," Damon ordered.

"Apparently," Bonnie started, suddenly with a hint of self-consciousness on her face, "the bringing-Jeremy-back thing had some unexpected consequences."

"The bringing-Jeremy-back thing? What exactly does that mean, Bonnie? Bringing him back from where?" Elena cut in.

Bonnie tossed an abashed glance at Damon and replied, "Back from death."

"What?" Elena felt her stomach knotting.

"Look, I was shot by Sheriff Forbes…,"Jeremy tried to explain, but was interrupted.

"WHAT?" Elena screamed. Jeremy raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. "Look, Elena, it's okay. I'm alive. Bonnie brought me back."

Everyone's eyes fell on Bonnie now; only Ric leaned back, avoiding letting _his_ eyes wander to the tempting liquor table.

Tyler sat up straight and raised an appeasing hand. "Guys, calm down everyone. Let Bonnie explain."

Bonnie cast him a grateful glance and started anew.

"Jeremy found Damon that night and brought him to the Grill. Sheriff Forbes, who was searching for Damon as well, came in and shot him. Damon saw it in time and moved away, so Jeremy caught the bullet."

Elena felt Damon tensing beside her; she looked up at him and saw him sitting there, eyes wide, with an odd expression on his face – realization, horror, guilt. She felt sorry for him, although it was her brother who had caught the bullet and, apparently, died. She knew that he never would have done this if it hadn't been due to the bite. Not anymore. She couldn't help but placing her hand on his for a brief moment to show him that she knew.

"That's when we came into the Grill," Caroline stepped in. "We found my Mom and Jer, and I gave him some blood, but he didn't swallow it anymore; it was too late."

"So Alaric and I brought him to the dead witches' mansion," Bonnie went on. "It was the second time that day I was there. The first time, Emily had told me about the cure. The witches were already angry; they didn't want to tell me about it in the first place. They thought I was abusing them to help…a vampire."

"You mean to help _me_. They don't particularly like me. Witches, judgy little…," Damon muttered.

Sending him a brief apologetic look, Bonnie went ahead. "They refused to help Jeremy; I begged them to…,"

"And I insulted them…," Alaric murmured.

"…and eventually they, I guess mainly Emily, brought him back. But they said there would be consequences. I didn't understand what they meant, and to be honest, at that moment I didn't care. But now I think I know."

"I see dead people now," Jeremy simply said.

"Well, that's hardly news flash, Gilbert," Damon pointed out.

"No, not …I mean… _really_ dead people. Actually I saw Anna and Vicky."

"But…they are dead!" Gaping at Jeremy, Caroline's jaw dropped.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Blondie?"

"You mean… you see _ghosts_?" Tyler asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I guess that's what you could call them." Jeremy nodded.

"And they speak to him," Bonnie chimed in. "That's the reason for our meeting today. They told him they've been captured in a world between our world of the living and the world they now belong to, the world of the dead. They seem to have the purpose to help us restoring the balance of nature."

"Meaning to kill the big bad werepire?" Damon cut in.

"Apparently there is a way to stop him. The problem is that there seems to be an item one has to use to do it, and it's hidden in this intermediate world."

"And how do we get it?" Ric asked, and at Bonnies pointed look he went on, "What, someone has to _enter_ that world to get it?" Bonnie just nodded. Ric narrowed his eyes. Vampires, werewolves, even ghosts – all well and good. But entering a world between theirs and the one of the dead, that was strange and kind of terrifying, even for them. "Is that even possible?"

"There's a spell," Bonnie said quietly. There was a moment of silence as everyone let that sink in. Damon leaned back.

"I'll do it."

"And I'll be coming with you." Elena said right away, her face as determined as Damon's. Before he could say a word to object her, she cut him off. "I told you I'm not gonna let you do something on your own; that you're stuck with me in this, remember? I meant it, Damon."

"As much as I don't like it, I'm quite certain that this is indeed the only way," Bonnie cut in. "Anna and Vicky told Jeremy about the conditions to enter the world and, even more important, to leave it to come back to our world. It has to be a vampire who leads the way to enter, because in a way that's the world they belong to; but he needs a human for the way back. I can't go because a witch is necessary for completing the transfers and to observe the whole process from outside. Jer can't go because we need him here to communicate with Anna and Vicky."

"So I could go with Tyler," Caroline suggested.

"Yeah, Blondie, great idea. First I let Jeremy take a bullet for me, then I send you and the wolf into nirvana, and surely I'll find a way to get rid of the others, too. Thanks, Caroline, but it's _my_ brother, meaning _my_ turn." Damon couldn't help but feeling touched by Caroline's selfless offer, and everyone in the room knew it, although he pretended to be angry.

"Tyler isn't human anyway, Caroline. But I am," Alaric stated. "I'm going with Damon."

"No way!" Elena jumped to her feet, but before she could say anything else, Bonnie cut her off, resolutely raising a hand.

"No offence, Alaric, but the girls also told Jer, that there has to be a really strong bond between the entering people to help them stay together and come out together. And there has to be an immense amount of trust between them."

Ric chuckled at that. "He turned my wife and killed me; and still he is my friend. What more of trust could you imagine?"

"Still," Bonnie said quietly, "there's more between them."

No one moved or made a noise hearing the unspoken truth spoken out loud. Elena felt herself blushing, eyes locked to the floor. Then, finally, she lifted her gaze, her brown eyes meeting his blues, and she saw so much love in it, that a shiver ran down her spine. Eventually Damon broke away and looked at Bonnie.

"So, what do we have to do?"

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* * *

><p>.<p>

During the next hour, Bonnie and Jeremy explained what everyone had to do and tried to answer all the questions their friends had. When everything had been told, they arranged a meeting for the same night, right after dusk. Only at night the entrance to the intermediate world would be open, which was also the reason for Anna and Vicky showing up just at night time. The remaining time until dusk Bonnie wanted to use to prepare everything for the transfer.

Everyone took off then, leaving Damon and Elena alone at the boarding house. They ordered a pizza, and Damon downed a blood bag. When they were done eating, Damon turned to Elena.

"Put your shoes on, please, I'd like to show you something."

Elena did as he had said, and when they went out of the house, she guessed to be led to the car; instead Damon walked toward the woods. Elena followed, curious about what he would show her. After 20 minutes silently walking, she noticed that they were heading toward the cemetery. She wondered briefly whether he wanted to lead her to her parent's grave, but it didn't take long to realize that he was headed to the old part of the cemetery. The farther they went, the older the graves were. Eventually he came to a stop in front of a big, weathered tombstone, the inscriptions barely readable. Only because she suspected so, she could recognize the family name Salvatore. She knew that it wasn't his father's grave; she had dug in it herself that night many months ago. So she was quite sure to know whose it was. She looked up in his face, which showed an unfathomable expression.

"Your mother," she said gently. It wasn't a question, but a statement. For a split second she saw undoubtedly pain in his eyes; then his features soothed again and he nodded. After all those years, he still felt pain at his mother's grave.

"Our loved ones always stay with us, and it never stops hurting, does it?" she said softly and reached for his hand. He let her take it and their fingers entwined. They stood there without talking for a long time. Then he turned away and led her to a fallen tree trunk nearby, and they sat down on it. His eyes drifted into the distance and his voice was low when he began to speak.

"You know, even as a child I haven't been a good guy. I've always been the one who stole the sugar chunks out of the kitchen and enticed his little brother to do all the forbidden things; countless times my father gave me a trouncing, probably deserved more than once. One of the first things I learned was that I was an utter disappointment for my father; he never became tired to tell me so. But no matter what I had done, my mother always embraced me and gave me her warmth. No matter what I had done, she always saw the good in me. When she died, there was no one left to do so for my entire life."

He paused and swallowed. Then he turned to Elena, his eyes searching for hers. "Until I met you."

Elena felt her heart aching for the man beside her. She had so many people who loved her, even though her parents had died; she couldn't imagine how cold her life would be without this feeling to be loved.

Once more Damon swallowed and went on in a hoarse voice. "I needed you to know what a great gift you have given me before we'll go into this other world tonight. And I wanted to thank you for that." He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. He struggled against the overwhelming need to take her in his arms; he hesitated for a short moment, but eventually pulled away.

"Bonnie said that mutual trust is indispensable to life; are you sure…"

Elena cut him off without a second thought.

"I trust you with my life, and I don't have the slightest doubt, Damon."

He held her gaze and nodded once.

"Good," he said.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

They walked back to the boarding house as quietly as they had been walking to the cemetery, fingers still entwined, until Elena broke the silence.

"I am scared," she said. Part of her expected a snarky or at least teasing comment, but once again he surprised her.

"So am I." Damon gave her hand a light squeeze. "We don't know at all what is waiting for us in this world where living persons … and vampires … usually don't get in. And even more don't get out. Fight against an evil werepire? I can handle that. But this? I really don't like witches at all, but I'd rather stand up against all of them at once than to go into this world. To be honest – it scares the hell out of me. But we don't have any choice, have we? So we'll just do it. And I'll keep you safe, I promise." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Elena smiled back. "And I'll keep you safe. I promise."

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><p>.<p>

A/N: What will await them in the intermediate world? You'll see in the following chapters...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Thanks a lot to those who wrote a review, especially to those of you I couldn't PM.

In this chapter the trip starts...

Let the games begin...

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

_Are__ you__ lost __where__ you__ are?_

_ Can you find the way when you're so far?_

_ Do you fear where you are?_

_.  
><em>

The Longest Night by Howie Day

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* * *

><p>.<p>

When they came to the boarding house, dusk had nearly arrived. Alaric was already sitting in the parlor, sipping a drink. Elena went to the kitchen and made coffee. She felt exhausted, but unfortunately it was too late for taking a nap. Yet, she didn't regret the way they had spent the afternoon. It had given her more strength than any nap could ever have done.

It didn't take long until the rest of the group came in. Bonnie brought an even more ancient looking grimmoire than usual and a bag full of those things Damon always called witchy-woo-woo-thingies. Usually Bonnie was confident and strong; but tonight she appeared slightly nervous, what in turn made Elena feeling nervous too.

Jeremy seemed to be on edge; he appeared distracted and could barely concentrate.

"Are they here?" Elena asked. Her brother threw her a bugged glance and nodded.

"They are battling all the time!" he complained. "It drives me insane! And they always want me to judge! How could I even do that? I really try not to listen, but…" he trailed off. Elena couldn't help but laugh. Anna and Vicky… yeah, she could picture them battling.

Caroline looked as exhausted as Elena felt, but she appeared to be happy. She told them about the conversation she had had with her mother. Apparently she seemed to trust her daughter and also her friends, vampires as well as werewolf. When she had heard about Stefan's disappearance she even had offered her help to find a lead.

With an awkward feeling Elena watched Bonnie preparing everything necessary for the transfer. Elena felt her stomach flutter at the thought of entering this scary unknown world. Bonnie had told them that no weapons were allowed in there; great, another point on the list of things making her feeling uncomfortable. The thought of being that defenseless scared her even more. But wait…she wasn't really defenseless. She had Damon by her side, and he was kinda weapon on his own, wasn't he? She knew with absolute certainty that he'd do everything to protect her. Even die. _That_ thought on the other hand was making her feeling even more uncomfortable…

She needed to stop thinking. It didn't help at all.

She looked around for any distraction and her gaze fell on Caroline and Tyler. They were sitting on a couch, close to each other and talking. In a way they were behaving as if they were on a date. When did that happen? Elena couldn't help but admit that they looked cute together. Tyler had changed a lot during the past weeks and she could picture them easily as a couple. Then again…what was it about Matt, actually? And with a pang of remorse she noticed, that she didn't know, what exactly had happened to the three of them the night of the sacrifice. She had a hint of the knowledge in her mind of Matt breaking up with Caroline, but wasn't quite sure about it. Crap, she really was way too occupied with her own problems all the time to be able to care about the love lives of her friends and that bothered her immensely. What kind of friend was she actually? Pushing that disturbing thought aside for the moment, she decided to talk to Caroline once she was back in this world again.

Bonnie interrupted her by drawing everyone's attention to herself.

"Guys, I'm ready."

Relieved Elena noticed that Bonnie's attitude had changed meanwhile; she looked determined and was obviously convinced without the slightest doubt of doing the right thing. She began to explain what she had prepared.

"As you can see, I drew a pentagram on the floor; I took salt for it, because …" she waved her hand, "…witchy thing." She smiled briefly in Damon's direction and went on.

"Elena and Damon will need everyone's support for the transfers and also for the stay in the intermediate world. Each one of you has to stand in one of the triangles, Elena and Damon will be placed in the centre. The fifth triangle will be settled by the spirits of Anna and Vicky; they are able to alternate between the worlds at any time. I'll be in the centre with Damon and Elena, but I'll stay here in our world as long as I don't touch any of them. Stay away from the salt lines, everybody, they should not be touched either. Damon," she addressed the vampire, "you should drink one or two more blood bags. You both won't get hungry, thirsty or tired in there, but it can't hurt to strengthen you before the transfer."

Damon nodded and hurried away to fetch two blood bags from the kitchen and was back in a flash; he didn't want to miss a word.

Bonnie lowered her voice slightly, and Elena could feel the tension now evaporating from her.

"I don't know what you have to expect there; sadly the girls couldn't explain much about it. I only know for sure, that it is absolutely inevitable for you to stay together, contacting each others skin. No separation, not for the briefest moment. Can you handle that for sure on your own, or would you prefer to have your hands tied together?"

Elena searched Damon's eyes. He gave her only a brief glance, stepped beside her and grabbed her hand. Holding it tight in his own, he stated: "Not necessary; we stay together." Elena immediately had the strange feeling, as if his strength was washing through her veins, giving her more confidence than she had had before.

"How do we actually get in there?" Damon demanded.

Bonnie explained: "I chant you in. There will be a certain point, from where you have to lead, but you'll know it then." Damon nodded in acceptance.

"Any questions?" Bonnie asked. Tyler raised his hand.

"How long will it take? I mean …the whole visit?"

Bonnie tilted her head, weighing the answer. "To be honest – I don't know. All I'm sure of is that time counts different in there than it does here. But I honestly have no clue what that means for us out here. I guess we just have to take it as it comes." She cast an apologetic look to everyone, then took a deep breath and asked: "Everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded.

"Ready for take off" Damon smirked. "You know your engines, Houston?"

Bonnie assured: "Yeah, I know"

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The witch led Caroline, Tyler, Ric and Jeremy to their triangles; Elena and Damon, hands glued together, stepped into the centre of the pentagram.

"Damon?" Jeremy suddenly announced. The vampire turned to him. Jeremy swallowed. "I know you do it anyway, but I … just take care of her, yeah?"

Damon's eyes softened a fraction as he held Jeremy's pleading gaze. "I will." After a few seconds, Jeremy nodded.

"Jer…" Elena began, but Jeremy cut her off.

"No, Elena. No good bye. You'll be back again soon." Now it was Elena's turn to nod.

Bonnie raised her hands.

"Okay then, let's shoot'em off."

Bonnie closed her eyes briefly to gain full concentration; the candles she had placed in a wide circle surrounding the pentagram lit on. Then she began to chant.

Elena felt the fluttering of her stomach increase and unknowingly she moved closer to the vampire. At first nothing happened. Then the light in the room seemed to dim out as if the air thickened so that the light couldn't pass through anymore. It was a weird feeling and it didn't help at all that her head started to spin slightly. She looked up to Damon who caught her gaze with wide eyes, signaling that he felt strange too. In a protective manner he wrapped his free arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to steady her. Yet, the spinning of their heads became worse and they both involuntary closed their eyes and leaned against each other. When Elena threw a last brief look into the room surrounding her, she noticed that she could barely see anything else but Damon.

Slowly the spinning sensation reached the rest of their bodies and suddenly it felt as if the ground had vanished into thin air. A weird feeling of being whirled up in the air set in and left Elena staggering, but she could feel Damon holding her steady.

All of a sudden, the whirling stopped and they regained ground underneath their feet, but somehow it felt different than before. Elena hesitated, and then slowly reopened her eyes. She focused on what was right in front of her, not daring yet to face the world around her. She stared at Damon's chest, lifted her eyes up to look in his face. Relief flooded through her veins when she saw, that he at least hadn't changed. Seeing the expression on his face, the feeling seemed to be mutual.

"Hey" she said quietly.

He smiled at her. "Hey. You okay?"

Elena contemplated for a moment, and then she nodded. "You?" Mirroring her movement, he nodded too.

They stood there, hands linked, Damon's free arm wrapped around her, close to each other, for quite a while, bracing themselves for what might expect them outside of their cocoon. Then, slowly, they started to look around. The first thing Elena noticed was the light. Or better: not-light. It wasn't really dark, she could see everything; it reminded her at doors only lit up by exit lights, but there was no source the light came from. And somehow she had the odd feeling, that it wasn't even light; it was more - a lack of darkness. And suddenly, like a flashback she remembered the nightmare she had had the night before. She shivered.

Hesitantly they detached themselves from each other, cautiously turning around to watch their surrounding, but they stayed still close, hands still glued together.

They stood on a stony ground full of small fissures, washed out by water they couldn't imagine ever having been existent here. The air felt completely dry, and although it was not particularly warm, it felt as if their lungs were burning. Though, after a while they were getting used to it and breathing got easier.

Looking in every direction, the picture they saw was all the same; the ground extended to the farthest point their eyes could reach without any elevation or sag. There was not even a horizon to be seen; the ground just … faded out. Which wasn't astonishing, because there was not really any sky above them; there was just … nothing.

Insecure about what to do next, Elena cast a questioning glance to Damon.

"We've got to go now?" she asked. He looked once more around, tilted his head for a second or two and said: "I guess so."

"Which direction?" Elena wondered.

"This way." Damon went off and dragged her along.

She raised her brows. "How do you know?"

Damon shrugged. "I don't. I just … we're right. Come on."

They walked for a while over the rocky area. Without any obvious reason he corrected the direction they were heading slightly to the left. The area didn't change at all, until they suddenly stood in front of a natural stone wall that one moment ago hadn't been there; Elena almost knocked against it, but Damon held her back.

"Huh" Damon made a face.

"This is weird" Elena muttered.

"It is. But at least we know now, that we're probably on the right way."

"But … where do we go now?"

"The wall is way to soothe to climb up, and I really don't want to shatter your pretty little head by using it as a battering ram" he smirked, and Elena rolled her eyes at that. "So I think the wisest decision would be to walk along the wall until we find … anything." He turned to the left and dragged her along.

After only a few minutes, the wall opened to what seemed to be the entrance of a cave, and they curiously stepped inside. Only there was no cave. There was … nothing. Due to Damon's excellent reflexes he stopped them both in time to come to a halt on the edge and to not fall into the great nothing. Elena's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh my God!" she whispered terrified and tried to pull Damon back. When he didn't move, she urged: "Come back there, Damon. I really don't want us to fall down there, and we should go on anyways."

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "Yeah, we should go on. This way."

"What?" Elena looked completely baffled. "We can't go this way. There _is_ no way."

"No, there is no way to be _seen_. But there _is_ one" Damon said determinedly.

"But…" Elena trailed off.

"I can sense it" the vampire explained.

"You can…" The ability to speak in full sentences seemed to have left her.

"Yes, I can. Come on. Stay right behind me and put your feet exactly behind my feet." He saw her hesitating, and he understood it very well. It was probably the weirdest thing he ever had done. And he had done many weird things.

He turned to her and caught her gaze. He held it and cupped her face with his free hand. "Elena, do you trust me?"

His hand on her cheek caused a tingling feeling, and she wondered briefly, how she could sense something like that in the situation they were in. She pushed the thoughts about his hand on her cheek aside and breathed in sharply.

"You know that. Go ahead." He held her face cupped a little longer and gave her a genuine smile, still not used to the trust she showed him.

"Don't be afraid, when I close my eyes. I can sense it better, when they are shut" he stated.

Then he turned, closed his eyes and put his right foot onto nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

_Don't know if our fate's already sealed_

_This day's a spinning circus on a wheel_

_I'm ill with the thought of your kiss_

_._

Ashes And Wine by A Fine Frenzy

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* * *

><p>.<p>

No one moved or said a word for a long time; only Bonnie chanted her spell. Every now and then the candles flickered and rocketed high, then calmed down again.

Elena and Damon stood in the centre of the pentagram, hands tacked together. After a while, Elena staggered slightly; Damon wrapped his free arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to steady her. They leaned against each other, as if they both needed that to stay upright; eventually Bonnie stopped chanting.

It was precisely the moment when they fell to the ground.

"Elena!" Jeremy screamed in horror. He wanted to rush over to her, but Bonnie held him back.

"Stay there, Jer, you'll bring them in danger if you leave your triangle." Jeremy stared at her wide eyed, then glanced over to his sister and nodded curtly.

"Uh…Bonnie?" Ric asked slowly. "Is it okay, if they don't breathe anymore?" Jeremy's face looked alerted again.

"And…" Caroline cut in, "if their hearts don't beat anymore?"

"WHAT?" Jeremy jumped.

"Calm down, Jeremy" Bonnie insisted. "I believe that this is absolutely normal."

Jeremy frowned. "You believe?"

"Yes, actually I'm quite sure about it. Why don't you ask Anna to look for them?" Jeremy tossed her an insecure gaze; then he turned to the empty looking triangle.

"Uh … Anna, would you…?" He tilted his head, as if he was listening. Obviously receiving a satisfying response, his body and face relaxed a little. Several minutes later he straightened up, turning his attention back to the triangle belonging to the spirits. Apparently content with what he heard, a hint of a smile showed up on his face and his wrinkled forehead soothed.

"They're in," he stated.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Elena moved on. She had no choice. Not anymore. Once she had decided to come along with Damon, she had thrown away the possibility to turn back. So she moved on. Although every single step she had to take scared her to death. Literally. Because that would be the result of a misstep. And it didn't help the slightest that she was aware of the consequences she was risking to gain with every step she made. With every strength she could muster, she focused on the respective position Damon's foot had left the moment ago, intending to be able to place hers on the exact same place.

The first steps had been almost unbearable to take. Walking on a great, big nothing wasn't just the subject of a nightmare; it felt like standing on the brink of death, laying her life in the hands of fate, which means having no control at all over it anymore. Only two thoughts could bring her to follow the vampire in front of her; the picture of Stefan coming to her mind, caring, selfless Stefan, who had sacrificed his unconditional will to bury the monster inside to save his brother's live and with it everything that had made his own live worth living, including herself; on the other hand the promise to keep her safe the hand firmly holding hers was implying, and the absolute need to confirm her trust.

She found herself envying Damon being able to walk with eyes shut, so he didn't have to see where his feet were put on. Her nerves were on edge and her body was tense; she cursed herself for being so terrified and tried desperately to relax. However, after only a few frightened steps her foot suddenly slipped and she swayed. She gasped; for a split second she was sure she'd fall when suddenly Damon's free arm shot out and wrapped securely around her waist to steady her. Relief flooded through her body and she leaned against his back to regain self control. She felt like walking on a wire, shaky and insecure; and he stood there like a rock on solid floor. How did he do that? When slowly her heavy breathing began to calm down, Damon took her free hand and tacked it on his waist.

"Try it that way" he suggested, and after a while: "You ready?" Elena nodded. When she realized that he couldn't have seen it, she was surprised that he had moved on anyway; he probably had sensed it, she thought.

It _was_ better that way. After a few minutes she began to relax and noticed that it started to be like riding a bike. They had found a certain rhythm, and Elena wasn't forced anymore to focus on nothing but their feet. Instead she focused involuntarily on her hands, which were now both linked to the vampire. The one who she was not dating. She couldn't help but admit that it felt…good. The one hand firmly and securely being hold in his for what felt like hours now (in a good way); the other one lying on his waist, feeling the muscles and his pelvic bone moving with each step…Why the hell was she enjoying this sensation so immensely? She shouldn't enjoy it. Definitely not. The well known feeling of guilt crept into her mind. That increasing feeling that had made her stomach knotting for months now. Lately it seemed to be a permanent companion. Since that night.

The night they both hadn't mentioned with one word. The night she hadn't had the time to really think about for the past days. Now she couldn't avoid it anymore. That night had changed everything, even if they both tried to pretend that nothing had changed. She had kissed him.

Yeah, that too. But it wasn't just about the kiss. It had started the moment Stefan had told her that his brother was dying. She remembered the feeling as if an ice cold fist was clutching her heart. She could barely hear what Stefan was saying; her resistance to his plan to look for Klaus hadn't been as strong as he probably had imagined and as he probably had deserved. A part of her wanted him to go there to try and rescue his brother, no matter the cost. She recalled the day when Rose was dying, and she pictured Damon suffering like she had done. She tried to imagine future days without the eldest Salvatore brother, but she simply couldn't. Her mind closed the door to that possibility.

Later, when she arrived at the boarding house and got caught by the sheriff, she felt a desperation she never had felt before, not even during the sacrifice when Klaus had been about to kill Jenna. Everything in her was screaming for Damon, to be with him, to help him, and she couldn't reach him. When she saw the possibility to break out of the sheriff's office, she didn't hesitate for a single second. And when she had finally found him, although he bit her and although she had witnessed Rose's dying, she'd had not the slightest doubt that she wouldn't leave him; she was not afraid of him. Why wasn't she? She couldn't explain it. She just knew that he would never hurt her, not even if he was hallucinating. And even if he did – she couldn't care less that night; she needed to be with him. He needed her. And…she needed him. When she crawled into his bed and took him into her arms, it was no deliberate decision. It wasn't only to give him what he needed; it was a selfish act, because she wanted so desperately to be as close to him as possible. She had the illusion not only to hold him, but to hold him back, so that he couldn't leave. She couldn't let him go. Under no circumstances.

And that fact scared the hell out of her.

Since that night she couldn't deny it any more. The feelings she had been fighting against for months, what ever they were, were real. But she was not allowed to feel them. She loved his brother. She was not supposed to feel anything but friendship for Damon. How was it even possible, after everything he had done to her?

But…what was it that he had done actually ? He had turned her birth mother; because Isobel wanted it, and long time before he even knew herself. She couldn't honestly blame him for that. He had killed her brother. Undeniable. But Jeremy came back to live because of his ring. So no harm done? Certainly not. It was not that easy. But he genuinely had apologized. Was that all was necessary? I'm sorry, and all was said and done? Certainly not either. But … she saw the whole picture. She knew exactly why it had happened. Why he had snapped that night. And she had forgiven him.

What else had he done? He had saved her after the car crash. He had caught an arrow in the back for her. He had saved her from Rose and Elijah. He had saved her from Elijah in Richmond. He had done everything to protect her from harm. Yes, he had force fed his blood on her. But he had done it, because he was terrified of losing her. And had moved heaven and earth to fix it afterward. He had done the wrong thing more than once, but everything he had done had been because he loved her. Elena had known it all along, but had tried to deny this, too. But the night he was dying, he had confessed it to her. And she had kissed him.

And it had been neither a pity kiss nor a good bye kiss. It simply had been a kiss.

And she couldn't deny it anymore.

What was she supposed to do now?

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* * *

><p>.<p>

His eyes were still shut. He focused on the slender path that wound in front of him. It wasn't particularly easy to focus on the path when his mind every now and then decided to focus preferably on Elena's hands; the one glued to his hand for what felt like hours now (in a good way) as well as the one lying on his waist, which he felt with every step he took. He had to admit, that it felt good. Though he was well aware, that he shouldn't enjoy it. She was his brother's girlfriend. The one's who had, in order to get a cure to save his older brother's life, given himself over to Klaus, the evil werepire who clearly had a lot of fun pushing Stefan to fall off the wagon and watch him falling. What ever his goal in keeping Stefan by his side was, he surely relished the side effect. Once more Damon cursed his brother silently for doing such a stupid thing to save _him_. The brother who had done nothing than made Stefan's life miserable. And what did he do? Yes, he was on a saving mission. But additionally he and Elena strengthened the bond between them. They always had pretended that it was a bond of friendship, nothing more and nothing less. But since that night he couldn't pretend it anymore.

The night they both hadn't mentioned with one word. The night he hadn't had the time to really think about for the past days. Now he couldn't avoid it anymore. That night had changed everything, even if they both tried to pretend that nothing had changed. She had kissed him. As much as he'd like to think that it had been a pity kiss or a good bye kiss, because it would keep things easier like that, he didn't really believe it anymore. Everything Elena had done that night hadn't felt like caring for a friend. He actually had felt … loved. It had been as if walls had broken down that night. Not only the wall he had built up to protect himself, but also a wall they had built up between them, letting pass through only feelings of friendship. And it seemed to be almost impossible to rebuild. And, to be honest, he didn't _want_ to rebuild it. He had tried so hard not to try and steal his brother's girlfriend. Although he desperately wished to try. For once, he hadn't wanted to be selfish. Because he loved them both and they seemed to be happy together. But now … he wasn't as convinced as he'd been before any more. Elena loved Stefan; he was quite certain about that. But was it really the one big love meant for eternity he always had thought it was? He wasn't sure anymore. She had also feelings for him; he knew that now. It was undeniable. A tiny little voice in his head didn't stop nagging: Why should he always be the one who didn't get what he was wishing for? He didn't want to hurt his brother. But he wanted her.

And he couldn't deny it anymore.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

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><p>.<p>

Sheriff Forbes was beyond tired. Too much had happened during the past days. Too much had been told her during the last nights. She couldn't think straight anymore, her brain was clearly overstrained with input.

Caroline, her beloved daughter, was a vampire. She had become the thing Liz had been taught to hate and that she had hunted down her entire life.

The person in the council she trusted the most, the one she considered as a friend, the one who she was convinced had hunted vampires like she did, had turned out to be a vampire himself. He had betrayed her.

Tyler Lockwood, Carol's son, was a werewolf; she even hadn't known that werewolves existed; and now one of them lived amongst them, was even a good friend of her daughter's. She believed Caroline that all of them could be trusted. Hell, Caroline was her daughter! How could she not trust her, despite everything she knew about vampires? And the Gilberts were with them for months now, and nothing had happened to them. Yes, she still trusted them. Though, all the stories about doppelgangers and werewolves and the one big bad vampire, who apparently now was a hybrid and utterly dangerous, had left her exhausted.

A deep sigh escaped her throat. There was paperwork left to do, but she decided otherwise. Shifting the remaining sheets of non-supernatural day work to a neat pile, maintaining the impression to be done for today, she was only looking forward to get into her bed and close her eyes; even if she didn't believe to find some sound sleep tonight.

When the door to her office opened, she groaned in annoyance; instinctively she knew this couldn't be something good.

"Deputy Packard? What is it?" she asked, hoping and praying, yet not believing that he just wanted to wish her a good night.

He gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Sheriff, but I think you really should have a look at those…"

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><p>.<p>

It was numbing.

Elena didn't know how long they were walking like this now, step by step, Damon's eyes shut, hers pinned on their feet and a path she could only acknowledge to be there because she was in fact walking on it.

Through the numbness spreading in her mind she suddenly heard sounds which hadn't been audible the moment before. Actually nothing at all had been audible before, except the sounds they were making themselves. By the tensing of Damon's back, she could tell that he heard them, too; the sounds of whispering and scurrying creatures coming from the direction they were heading to. Damon stopped dead in his tracks, opening his eyes to look around. The sudden halt made Elena staggering lightly and she steadied herself by leaning against his back again. She lifted her eyes and shifted her head aside to peer past him in front of them.

"You see anything?" she asked silently.

"Uh uh, nothing. But it's there. Or better…they are there. I can sense them."

"What is…what are they? Do you think that are…spirits, like Anna and Vicky?"

"Probably … something like that…" he said vaguely. "Come on, let's go ahead."

They walked on like before, but only a few steps later it felt … differently.

"Damon, we're on solid ground again" Elena announced somehow excited. They stopped and looked around once more and noticed stunned, that the …nothing… they had crossed, had disappeared. Everywhere they were glancing was the familiar rocky ground they were standing on.

Since there was no necessity to hold on to Damon's waist anymore, Elena lifted her hand, causing a feeling of loss to both of them. Their eyes met for a second; Elena flushed and broke away from his eyes to look around again.

She tensed. "I can see something" she whispered. Damon followed her gaze and his eyes narrowed. "Jeremy said Anna and Vicky looked like they were alive. Those do not" he observed. "Those are … only shadows of spirits, I'd say."

"How could spirits even have shadows?" Elena stared at him, puzzled.

"I don't know, Elena. I'm not too familiar with these beings, you know? I haven't been here either."

"I know! I wasn't asking you for an answer; I was just wondering!" she snarled at him. He glanced at her briefly; then he gave her hand an apologetic squeeze. Her features soothed.

"I'm sorry" she murmured, "I'm just a bit …on edge, I guess." She took a deep breath. "Where do we go now?" When Damon shrugged his shoulders, she suggested: "I'd say we just…move on. There's not really a goal in sight, is it?" When Damon didn't object, she walked ahead and pulled him with her.

The shadows scampering around them were extremely creepy, and Elena was glad to have Damon right by her side. Some of them became clearer, more visible. The farther they went, the more they actually looked like creatures; some of them seemed to be the spirits of humans; they looked like humans, only not as solid, but rather a little…shadow-like. Others obviously were the spirits of pets. Astonishingly there were no spirits of wild living animals to be seen; Elena briefly considered, whether only pets were here, because they had been loved by humans; that would imply, that this place, this whole world had been created by humans, wouldn't it? She didn't want to think about it, so she pushed the thoughts aside. Furthermore there were some spirits which were looking neither human nor like an animal, but like cruel mixtures of both; as if someone had been playing around with different spirits, mangled them and cobbled them together. Those definitely were the creepiest ones. Each one of these…beasts…had cruel looking features; Elena unknowingly shifted a little closer to Damon, cautiously observing them. But they all held their distance to the two intruders as if they were sensing that the human and the vampire didn't belong here, and after a while Elena relaxed slightly.

They went on for some minutes; until Damon broke the silence. "You think we should do anything else but…walking around? Like…uh…I don't know…talk to them?"

Elena shuddered. To see these spirits all the time and to walk among them was creepy enough, in her opinion; to actually talk to them…no, she refused. "No" she pleaded, "not yet, at least."

Damon nodded; she was frightened, he could both see and sense it. And to be honest – he was frightened, too. However, something needed to happen. "As far as I can tell, we could walk around like this for the rest of our lives, and nothing will change" he growled, getting a little impatient. "And I have to admit that my sleepless nights are definitely not filled with dreams of walking through hell among creatures of nightmares for all eternity, not even with you as company. So we really should do something."

Elena abruptly came to a halt. Damon gave her a bewildered look. She was gazing straight in one direction. Damon turned to see what she was looking at, but saw nothing particularly different than before. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you see her?" Elena whispered; she had a strange expression on her face. It seemed to be the blend of antagonistic feelings; fear and disgust on the one hand, empathy and pity on the other one. He followed her gaze once more and saw that she was eyeing the spirit of a woman. "Look at her face" she said quietly. As he did so, he discovered the reason for her pity; the woman looked … desperate.

"She wants to have her child" Elena explained and pointed to the spirit of a baby crawling in circles, surrounding a dog's spirit that seemed to watch over the baby, never getting any closer to the woman. Examining the woman's features, he could see that Elena was right.

"So why doesn't she walk over and take it?" Damon asked, still bemused why they were standing here and observing this strange situation.

Elena locked her eyes with his and gave him a reproachful look. "She is desperate" she said, as if this explained everything. When Damon didn't answer, her eyes widened. "We need to help her" she asserted.

"What?" Damon's brows shot up, baffled about her sudden change of attitude toward the spirits.

"Damon…"

"Don't do that" he snapped and added: "Don't say my name like that, as if I'd done something bad. How come you care about this…spirit anyways? Don't we have enough problems?"

The expression on Elena's face became determined. "You can do what you want; I'll go to try and help her to get her baby" she stated fiercely and began to walk over; Damon held her back.

"You don't even know how to do it" he tried to argue, but that plan backfired.

"Try and error" she simply said and went ahead, pulling the vampire with her. Damon reluctantly followed; stubborn as she was, she wouldn't give in anyway and there was no point in battling now. They went over to the woman's spirit; at least Elena was keeping a certain distance. They watched her carefully.

"She doesn't move her feet at all" Damon murmured.

"Maybe she can't?" Elena suspected. She moved a little closer, but Damon held her back again, determined to not let her getting closer to the spirit than they were now. Elena silently accepted.

"Let's go to the baby" she changed her strategy; so they did. When they were approaching the baby that was crawling in their direction, the little … boy? … turned and crawled in another direction. Elena went again in front of the baby, but once again he turned away. Excited Elena glanced up to Damon. "We can guide the baby to crawl into the right direction" she announced. "He always crawls away from us. We can use that to lead him to his mom!" Damon sighed but nodded eventually. They started to try and lead the baby toward his mother by circling around him, carefully avoiding the dog's spirit, changing their position whenever the little boy changed his direction; it seemed to work, slowly he approached the woman, who was now crouching down in anticipation of her baby, watching every move, ready to open her arms for him.

When the boy was only inches away of the security his mother's arms were promising him, Elena suddenly heard a loud growl beside her; she felt a dashing wind and a stinging pain at her upper arm; almost at the same time something blurred in front of her and she heard a thudding voice followed by another growl.

"What was that?" She screamed.

"The dog. We took away the baby he was watching over" Damon shifted into a defensive stance, obviously waiting for the next attack. And it came. Damon's fist shot out and punched hard against the dog's head. A normal dog would have been knocked out for the next hours, provided it would have survived anyways. This one was not a normal dog, it was the spirit of one; it was thrown a few feet over the ground, but stood up immediately and leapt again. Before it could reach Elena, though, Damon let go of her hand, snatched it, snapped its neck and threw it as far away as he could; it didn't move anymore, at least for now.

The moment Damon let go of her hand, Elena slumped down on the floor. She couldn't manage to stand on her legs a mere second; her head started to spin, and her upper arm, where the dog apparently had bitten her, hurt terribly. When Damon had got rid of the dog, he turned to Elena, crouched down beside her and cradled her in his arms.

"Elena!" The worry in his voice caused Elena to look up to his face; he caught her gaze, and when she looked into his eyes, she saw pain and fear in it. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, but she couldn't manage to speak. She couldn't force her eyes open any longer either, so she closed them.

"Elena!" Damon urged her to open her eyes again, but she didn't react. He examined her arm; the bite of that hell dog had left a flesh wound that looked pretty hurting, but could not be responsible for Elena's breakdown. Although he of course had no clue, what kind of damage the bite of a hell dog could do to her. Damon briefly thought about the bite he had caught only some days ago, but as fast as the thought had been in his mind, as fast he pushed this bad reminder aside. Silently cursing her stubbornness, he stroked a strand of hair out of her face. He could tell that her heartbeat slowed down, and the pure fear rose up in his throat.

Once again, Damon was terrified of losing her.

And then Elena stopped breathing.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Sorry for the cliffie...

Actually...strike that. I'm not sorry...:-)

I know, some of you will probably wonder why Damon has a heartbeat. In the show, there are two different statements about it; Elena says in 1#15 "...that he has a heart, even if it doesn't beat", Katherine explains Stefan in the tomb 2#11 about desiccation: "Your heart still beats, struggling to pump whatever blood remains...". I decided to go with Katherine here, also because Damon says that his body functions pretty normal...


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer:I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't just be FanFic anymore...

A/N: I hope you liked my little cliffhanger; see what happens to Elena...

Read, have fun and review, please...

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

_ I__'__ll__ stay__ right __here_

_ It's where I'll always belong_

_ Tied with your arms_

_ Days like this, I wish the sun wouldn't set_

_ I don't want to forget_

_ What made us feel that way_

_ You see through all my fears_

_ And that's what got us here_

_.  
><em>

Ocean Wide by The Afters

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* * *

><p>.<p>

Tyler fought an almost futile battle against sleep. He hadn't slept much for the last week, and now that took its toll. He shook his head fiercely; he was not allowed to sleep. Elena and Damon needed them to stay awake.

To be honest, he didn't understand much of all the witchy woo woo stuff Bonnie was staging. Different than the rest of the group, everything was still new to him. But obviously everyone trusted in Bonnie, even Damon did. So he had to fulfill his purpose and stay awake at least; he didn't want anything to happen to Elena and he owed it Damon.

He glanced around; Bonnie held her eyes shut, but he was sure she wasn't sleeping. Caroline seemed to have a nice chat with Anna or Vicky or both of them and Jeremy was involved as loudspeaker for the spirits; he was getting a little unnerved about it, but he couldn't retreat.

Tyler had thought about the opportunity to apologize to Vicky. He really would appreciate that, but with a transmitter between them? And Jeremy, at that? He was not so sure about it. While he was still considering the possibility, he gaped at Elena and Damon, still lying in the pentagram's center, without actually seeing them. He didn't know what drew his attention; suddenly he knew something was wrong. And then he saw Elena trembling, which was weird, because she didn't even have a heartbeat right now.

"Bonnie" he said in a fierce voice that alerted her immediately, "look at Elena!"

Bonnie's eyes widened as she observed the lifeless body that now was shaking heavily. In an instant she raised her hands and began to chant. It seemed to be effective; the trembling decreased, but didn't stop.

"Send the spirits to watch over them!" She shouted to Jeremy. With a pleading look Jeremy turned to the dead girls and urged them to enter the strange world his sister was in and obviously had problems; before he could blink, they were gone.

Bonnie went on chanting until Anna reappeared.

"Elena's got bitten by a dog's sprit, is unconscious and stopped breathing a while ago" he reported nervously what Anna had told him.

Bonnie interrupted her chanting, but held her gaze on Elena and her hands upraised. "Are their hands still linked?" she demanded. Jeremy tilted his head, obviously listening to Anna.

"No, Damon needed both hands to fight the dog, I suppose, and now he holds her in his arms."

Bonnie nodded and turned lightly to Damon. Her chanting began anew, but it was a different spell now.

"Please, Anna could you…"Jeremy trailed off, but the girl obviously understood and vanished again.

Jeremy sighed. Hell, was this his eternal purpose, to fear for Elena's life?

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Damon was scared to death when he noticed, that Elena's breathing had stopped. He couldn't think clearly anymore; what could he do?

The only thing he could do was the obvious one. But he remembered very well what had happened the last time he had done this. What if it didn't help and she died? She would never forgive him.

Despite the paralyzing desperation, he suddenly had a clear picture of Bonnie in his mind as if she had invaded it. She tried to tell him something, but he couldn't understand it; his overwhelming fear seemed to block his mind. All at once he felt the presence of someone else. He looked up and saw…Anna. And Vicky. He could see them now, while he was in this world. They gave him a questioning look, and he guessed that they had been sent in by Bonnie. Apparently something was happening to outside-Elena, too. That scared the hell out of him. He pulled her closer and whispered stupid soothing words in her ear. Suddenly she relaxed a little and finally took a shuddering breath. When he looked up to the girls again, he found himself alone with Vicky, but in a flash Anna returned. She drew his gaze to herself; she took Vicky's hand in hers and pointed at him and Elena; and Damon understood. Their hands weren't linked anymore. He had let go of her hand to get rid of that damned dog. And when he was coming back, she had already been lying on the ground, so he had taken her in his arms.

It was his fault. Once again he had screwed it up.

Gently he reached for her hand and clasped it in his own. Immediately her heartbeat got a little stronger, but it remained weak. He needed to do something now. He had to, he couldn't let her die. He fiercely hoped that she was strong enough now. He took a deep breath and made his decision.

He didn't want to let go of her hand again, so he needed the other one. He gingerly lowered her down on his lap, lifted his free arm to his mouth and bit in his wrist. Then he placed it gently at Elena's lips.

"Drink, Elena, please. I know you don't want to, but you need it to survive. We can't save Stefan if you…Elena, please…" He swallowed. "I need you, Elena. Drink it, please." And at that, her lips moved and she swallowed Damon's blood; and two tears of relief ran over his cheeks and fell down on her face.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

Jeremy stared to the pentagram's center, paralyzed by Elena's trembling body and his girlfriend hovering over both of them, still chanting. Why was he always the one to sit aside and wait for his sister to return from danger? He didn't envy her for being the doppelganger, not at all; he just hated to feel helpless.

Anna and Vicky hadn't come back yet, so they didn't know what was going on with Elena and Damon in the intermediate world. As long as her body was trembling she seemed to be alive, at least. However, the moment he had said that to himself, the trembling faded down; now his sister lay on the floor as if she was dead once more. His head jerked upward to study Bonnie's face to find any hint in it whether this was a good thing or not; sadly he couldn't read her expression.

"Bonnie?"

She tossed him a glance and tried to focus on Elena again. "I really don't know, Jer. I think probably everything is okay, but I'm not sure… It is hard to reach their minds in there."

"It will be alright, Jeremy" Ric said in his calm voice. He felt sympathy for the boy; he knew exactly how Jeremy felt right now. It was only a few days ago that he had felt as helpless as Jer did now. But he trusted her company immensely. "Damon is with her. You know he will do everything to keep her safe." Jeremy nodded; yes, he knew that.

Bonnie noticed that suddenly Jeremy straightened and watched a little nervous to the empty looking triangle, and she knew what that meant. She saw the relief in his features, and the tension fell off of her; she had been right, everything was okay.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

For a long time Damon sat on the ground, Elena cradled in his arm, hands glued together again. He was determined to never let go of her hand anymore, what ever it would take, until they were back in the security of the boarding house. The bite had healed, her heartbeat had nearly gone back to normal and she was breathing evenly. She was sleeping soundly.

All that time Damon was completely oblivious to everything but Elena. When he was sure that she was recovering, he looked up and scanned the surrounding. Something had changed. At first he couldn't quite put his finger on it; then he saw it. The spirits were still there, still whispering and scampering around. But there was an opening in the crowd of shadows now, almost like a corridor. In the entrance of that corridor stood the spirit of the woman Elena had been willing to help, holding her baby securely and protectively in her arms now. Her expression had changed; no desperation could be seen anymore on her face. She looked relieved and almost happy.

She observed him cautiously, and when their eyes met, she held his gaze for a moment. It was the first kind of contact they had with any of the spirits apart from the fight with that bloody dog, and Damon felt a little unnerved at that. She began to take a few steps into the corridor, still holding his eyes, and then she came back. Her eyes widened as if she'd ask him if he understood. And he did. She wanted them to walk ahead into the direction the corridor was leading. He glanced at the corridor, looked back to her and nodded.

"Later; she needs to recover" he said in a low voice. She smiled at him.

"Thank you" she mouthed and walked away. After a few seconds he couldn't see her anymore, but the corridor stayed intact.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

Elena's eyelids started to flutter and suddenly popped open. Their gazes met, and he smiled warmly at her. He would have liked to brush a streak of her hair out of her face and caress her cheek, but he didn't dare to let go of her hand, not even for a split second. So he just pulled her a little closer for a short moment.

"You okay?" he asked her softly. She looked up at his face, confusion in her eyes. When suddenly the events flooded back to her mind, her eyes widened in horror, and she looked around nervously.

"What …"

"It's okay, Elena. The dog's gone. You're okay" he soothed her. She touched her upper arm tentatively; the shirt she was wearing was disrupted, but there was no wound anymore. The very same moment she knew why so. She gave him an accusing look.

"You fed me your blood! Again! Haven't you learned anything in the past?" she snarled at him. For a brief moment, she saw the pain in his eyes; then the walls went up.

"You needed it. You were dead now if I wouldn't have done it. Who'd save Stefan if you're dead and I'd be stuck in here?" he snapped back.

Elena's expression softened; if she was honest to herself, she knew damn well that he wouldn't do it anymore if there was any other possibility; not after the last time. She placed her free hand at his chest for a moment, causing a tingling feeling in her fingertips.

"I'll kick your ass if I die with your blood in my system, I hope you know that" she said, but he could tell, that she wasn't angry anymore. She had accepted it, and the look she gave him now was far away from being accusing. Instead it was filled with tenderness, and he felt his heart fluttering.

With all the strength he could muster he broke away from their locked gazes and tilted his head toward the new formed corridor.

"The woman you gave her baby back seems to be very grateful; she wants us to go that way" Damon informed her.

Eyes narrowed, Elena asked: "You trust her suggestion?"

He couldn't help but locking their gazes again. With an intense look into her eyes he went on: "I didn't want to help her. But your stubbornness won." He hesitated. "You did the right thing. I trust her suggestion because I trust you." Elena stared into his eyes, and the familiar sensation of warmth flooding through her veins set in.

Damon breathed in deeply; then he broke away once again.

He couldn't do that.

He was so close. She was so close.

They were so close to a kiss.

He knew it. She knew it.

He wanted it so badly.

But he couldn't do it.

Elena stared at him, observing the changing expressions on his face. For a few moments there was so much love in it, and then he forced the walls to go up again; determination appeared.

A part of Elena screamed inwardly out of disappointment, but she knew he was the one doing the right thing now. She forced herself to focus on Stefan; she tried to picture him, but is was a futile try; each time she almost could see Stefan in her mind, the dark haired vampire blurred in front of him, smiling that genuine smile at her he used to give solely to Elena.

She gave up, took in a shuddering breath and tried to sit up. Damon helped her and watched her cautiously. When her head started to spin, he saw that she wasn't feeling good enough yet and pulled her back; Elena leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Easy, Elena. You should rest a little longer" he said. Elena nodded.

"Where is she?" she asked. Damon knew who she was speaking of.

"I don't know. Anywhere. She went away" he shrugged.

"So she could move her feet now?" Elena asked stunned.

"Yeah. I figure that perhaps she had been damned or something? To stay right there until she gets her baby…ugh, I don't know!" He gave her a curious look. "Why did you even do that?"

It was her turn to shrug her shoulders now. "I don't know. Us humans…"

He turned a little to watch her face. "No, seriously Elena. Why?"

"She was desperate. She needed help. I felt sorry for her."

He seemed to be bemused. "But…you didn't even know her."

"You don't have to know people to feel sorry for them, Damon."

"Oh, yes I do. And I wouldn't feel sorry for most of the people I do know, actually."

"That's not true, Damon. Not anymore." Her fierce voice indicated her conviction. But of course Damon had to object.

"You can believe it as long as you want to Elena; but I'm not the good guy you want to see in me."

Elena's voice held anger now. "No Damon. You _pretend_ still being the bad guy. Look at everything you have done lately."

"You mean things like snapping your brother's neck?" he challenged.

She cringed inwardly, but she didn't flinch. "You did it for a reason."

"I'm pretty sure Hannibal Lecter had his reasons, too…" Damon snorted.

"It's getting stupid now, and you know it. Don't compare yourself to that..."

"Self serving psychopath? Your own words about me Elena, just pointing that out."

"That was long ago. You're nothing like that anymore" she stated firmly.

He caught her gaze and held it. "Only with you" he said softly.

"You're wrong Damon. You're nice to Jeremy…"

"Because of you."

"You saved Caroline and Tyler…"

"For you."

"You even tried to replace Jenna during the sacrifice…"

"For you."

Elena fell silent. But it was just the silence before the storm. Then she exploded.

"Don't you get it? It doesn't matter for what reason you're doing the right things. One doesn't have to be altruistic to do the right things, to be … good. And no one is always good and selfless. You think I'm that good? I do right things for selfish reasons, and I do stupid things for what seems to be a good reason, and I can be cruel and vengeful. Maybe the reason for acting so cruel is hurt, but it's still a stupid little revenge only for payback, and it hurts someone, too. And when I see my mistake, I'm not even strong enough to do at least then the right thing and apologize…" Words escaped her; tears were streaming down her face; the temper tantrum ended in sobbing.

"Elena…" Damon tried softly but was stopped by the raising of her free hand. She took a deep, shuddering breath, impatiently wiping away the tears, sat up and turned as far as was necessary to look him straight in the eyes. He was staring at her with an examining look. He knew exactly what she was talking about. _Yes.__ You __have__ lost__ me__ forever._ But why now?

Elena had calmed down again. "You're not a bad guy, and to be honest, in spite of all the bad things you have done, I believe you never really were one. You're a coward, Damon." He flinched, but she went on, completely unimpressed. "It simply creeps the hell out of you to let anyone or even any feeling in your heart, because you've been so much hurt in your life that you're sure that everything always will end up with pain. The way you lived for such a long time was just the easy way, Damon. And because it seemed to protect you from getting hurt again, you chose to like it. But now you know that it was the wrong choice, and that's why you have changed lately." He gazed at her in awe. She looked straight into his heart und _understood_ what she found there, things that he himself understood just the moment she spoke them out loud. How did she do that?

"You are as good as anybody, Damon. Probably better than the most people, because you're capable of so much love…" She trailed off. Her heart was racing. She had crossed the line, and she knew it. She hesitated; then she slowly leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He was caught off guard; he closed his eyes and shivered. When he opened his eyes again, she was only inches away and gazed intensely into his eyes. He took a shuddering breath, lifted their linked hands up to their chests and cupped her cheek softly with his free hand. He gently caressed her face and let his hand slip at the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair. His eyes had darkened and were full of love.

And then, in the middle of hell, surrounded by a bunch of monsters, he slowly closed the distance between them and kissed her.

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><p>.<p>

A/N: :-)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Only 4 weeks left! Yay! I really try hard not to spoil myself, sadly it doesn't work...Have you seen the pictures? Ugh, _still_ 28 days...

Oh, thanks so much for your kind reviews!

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><p>.<p>

**Chapter 7**

_I should go_

_Before my will gets any weaker_

_And my eyes begin to linger_

_Longer than they should_

_I should go_

_._

I Should Go by Levi Kreis

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><p>.<p>

Her heart skipped a beat. She wrapped her free arm around his neck and kissed him back.

And he couldn't believe it. He was kissing Elena, and she was kissing him back! Prickling heat washed through his veins, and he shivered.

The kiss was both passionate and incredibly tender at the same time. And it felt so right. Even if she knew that it was wrong. How could something wrong feel so damn right, though? And how could something that felt so right actually be wrong?

Elena didn't want to think about that, about anything. She only wanted to get lost in these overwhelming sensations. She felt Damon's tensed body trembling; she felt his unbelievably smooth lips on hers; she felt his hand on her back, on her face, on her head, tangled in her hair – how could those hands, that could (and did) easily break necks and rip hearts out, be so tender?

She pulled him a little closer, and a soft moan escaped her throat. And then something changed. She felt Damon's body stiffen slightly. She opened her eyes and saw something in his face that hasn't anything to do with what she was feeling…_regret_? He frowned and reluctantly pulled away, eyes still closed, as if he tried to hold on to something at least in his mind.

"Damon?" she asked tentatively. He opened his eyes, and what she saw in there couldn't be misunderstood. It was raw pain.

"Elena" his voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat. He gazed at her, eyes lingering on her lips, closing briefly, wandering to hers, locking with them. Taking a deep, still shuddering breath, his expression became determined.

"Elena, we shouldn't have done this."

She gaped at him, completely unsettled. "What?"

"It's not what you want." Pulling his free hand away from her head, he paused for a second to caress her cheek; then he let his arm slump down beside him. "Look, I know this place is really creepy; scary things have happened, and it makes us doing things you…we don't really want to do. _Crap, what was he talking about? He totally wanted to do that, and much more_...Once we're out of here we hopefully know of a way to find Stefan. _It'll always gonna be Stefan..._And maybe we find a way to get rid of Klaus, too. We will bring my little brother back to his bunny diet, and everything will go back to normal again. You…we don't want to deal with guilt then. So let's just forget about this _How could he ever forget about this? He never would..._and go on to see where this corridor will lead us, okay?"

Elena stared at him in utter shock. He didn't want that? No, she didn't believe it for a second. They shouldn't have done that? Check. Guilt? Double check. Yet…it had felt so right! Her body had reacted in a way it never had with Stefan. She loved Stefan, she really did. But what the hell was it she was feeling for Damon? It was different, but was it less?

But he had a point. Once they had Stefan back, she needed to be there for him. If everything Damon had told her about Stefan and his blood lust was right, and she didn't doubt it, he would need her help far more than the last time. She couldn't even think about leaving him. Crap, did she? Think about leaving Stefan? For _Damon_? Ugh, it was futile. Eventually she managed to answer him: "Yeah."

At that, she saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes for a split second; then his wall went up. He straightened, gave her hand a squeeze and said: "Okay, let's go."

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><p>.<p>

It was easier to go forward than before, now that they had a path they could follow. The corridor didn't go straight ahead, but it was not comparable to the wounding path leading over the … nothing. It felt more as if they walked along streets in a city, a light curve here and there, sometimes going around a corner. But it always was a definite way that clearly was meant to lead to a goal, what ever it was.

And all of a sudden, they were standing right in front of it.

From one step to the other, the creatures surrounding them were popped away, as if Damon and Elena had passed an invisible wall leaving the spirits behind it, their whispering merely perceptible hanging in the air like the noise of an event happening miles away.

They stood still, gaping at what was obviously meant to be their target.

Three large mirrors. No frame. Not even any kind of wall they were hanging on. Just the mirrors, reflecting Damon and Elena, hand in hand, staring at themselves.

"What kind of crap is that?" Damon asked baffled.

"Huh" Elena was rendered speechless.

When they tentatively stepped up to the mirrors they heard it.

The whispering of the spirits had been replaced by other noises. Much worse noises. Blood curdling noises. It sounded as if hundreds of people were screaming in absolute agony.

"What the hell…" Damon muttered, sparing a side glance at Elena. With wide eyes, her face was all fear.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Her voice was shaky.

"Huh." It was Damon's turn to be speechless.

"Maybe we should try to have a look at it from the backside?" he suggested after a while.

With an anxious face Elena nodded hesitantly. Carefully they approached the mirrors, and the closer they came, the louder the screaming became. They surrounded the mirrors and saw – nothing. There was no backside. They went back to where they had seen them last and looked at the mirrors again, closer this time. The noises had increased to a level they had to shout over now to understand each other.

"Should I try to touch it?" Elena asked. As a response Damon pulled her closer to the mirrors, lifted his free hand up to the one they were standing now in front of and – watched his hand vanishing trough what he had thought was the mirrors surface. He hastily pulled it back and was relieved when it reappeared.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Elena glanced at him and couldn't help but giggle when she saw his appalled looking face.

"You okay? Did it hurt?" she asked; when he shook his head, she lifted her own free hand and tried it herself. As well as it had happened to Damon's hand, hers vanished through the non-existent surface. She pulled it back, pushed through and pulled back once again. Apart from what was visible, nothing else happened to her hand. It felt as if there was no mirror at all.

"I think we should go in there" she suggested.

"What?" His brows shot up.

Elena was lost in thoughts. She was certain that they needed to go through one of the mirrors. Which one was the one to be chosen? Assessing the scary screaming, she had the strange feeling, that the wrong choice could be fatal. But how could she even know which was the right one? She examined the three mirrors thoroughly. They apparently all show the same thing, which was only logical, considering the fact that they were mirrors. Mirrors were supposed to reflect what was in front of them, weren't they? But this world they currently were in had nothing to do with logic. There had to be something else, any sort of a hint.

And then she saw it. Excitedly she went from one mirror to the next and to the third, Damon in tow begrudgingly following her. He _really_ didn't like the idea of stepping into one of the mirrors. In a way it seemed to be a witchy thing, and he hated witches…But seeing Elena's determined expression, he sighed deeply; he had no chance, and he knew it; and besides, probably she was right.

"This one" She stated, pointing on the left mirror.

"Why?" Damon asked incredulously. "How do you know? It spoke to you?"

"In a way…" Elena smiled. She glanced at Damon and saw …fear?... really?...in his eyes. He tried to hide it, but he knew it was futile; Elena used to look right through his walls. However she did it…

Elena squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "Look at our faces and our posture" she said, obviously meant as an explanation for her decision. But Damon didn't see any difference between the reflections.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't see it?" She couldn't believe it. He was so sensitive, and he always knew exactly what she was thinking and how she was feeling, only by a look into her face. How could he not see that?

"Look at this one" she explained, "we both are looking… bored; not concerned about what is going on. We're holding the other's hand, but it could as well be a log. This one shows us…annoyed, I think. Same with the hands. And in both mirrors, we are more distant to each other than in the third one. Look, there are at least five inches between us. But in there" she pointed to the left mirror, "our arms … you see? No distance between them. And our faces…" she trailed of_. Our faces show how we're really feeling, they show concern, worry, and…something else_…"This is us" she said.

Damon raised a brow. "Stupid me. I thought it's all us. Now you've mentioned it, I can see this one's Blondie and her pet, and there's the witch and…" Elena cut him off with an impatient waving of her free hand.

"It's this one. I know it."

Damon didn't see the slightest difference between the three reflections, nothing of what she had spoken of was visible to his eyes. She grabbed his free hand and locked their gazes.

"Damon, do you trust me?"

He tossed a hesitant glance toward the mirror she had chosen and looked back into her brown eyes_. You're not capable of trust!_

"Yes, Elena, I do."

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><p>.<p>

A lazy calmness lay over the group; for more than an hour nothing had happened to the seemingly lifeless lying bodies in the center of the pentagram. They had sent Vicky to look for them; when she came back, she told Jeremy that they were fine and going on again. Everyone was fighting more or less against sleep, when suddenly a buzzing interrupted the silence. Five heads jerked up and turned to where the sound was coming from; yet they couldn't see the source.

"That's Damon's cell" Ric explained. Bonnie threw a brief glance at Damon, relieved that the buzzing obviously was coming from another direction somewhere in the parlor; luckily she didn't have to grab it out of his trouser pocket. She looked up and met Ric's gaze; she shrugged and he mimicked her movement; they couldn't reach it.

Ten minutes later everyone threatened to fall into numbness again, when the door bell rang. Like before, five heads jerked up and turned to the front door.

"Who's there?" With Damon and Elena out of order, Ric felt as the one being most in charge for the boarding house; if the amount of consumed booze in here over the months was in any way significant, he surely was.

They heard the door being opened tentatively and a voice calling reluctantly. "Damon? Are you here?"

"Mom! Come in! "Caroline shouted without thinking. Liz came in, glancing cautiously at the weird picture her eyes caught. When she discovered the unmoving bodies in the middle of the pentagram she cursed. "What the hell… Caroline, what's going on here?" she added sharply, tossing her daughter a demanding look.

"Oh, uh…about that…" Caroline sighed; one more thing to explain to her mother…

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><p>.<p>

Bonnie had confidently explained all of importance. Sheriff Forbes, being the Sheriff, was a good listener. Focusing on the main facts, she didn't question given circumstances; she was highly interested in the cause for sending a 17 year old girl without any supernatural skills into a hostile world, yet she didn't ask. And what was even more, she didn't question the whole act of sending anyone at all into a foreign world; she had the strong feeling, that these guys, regardless their age, were absolutely capable on handling things like that.

When Bonnie was done, Liz nodded, rose from the armchair she had taken a seat on and turned to leave the house. Caroline held her back. "Mom, why did you come over?"

Liz turned toward the pentagram; she eyed Damon lying on the floor, protectively enveloping Elena's slender figure with one arm, holding her hand in his other hand, and her eyes softened. Yes, that man had betrayed her, had obtained her confidence surreptitiously; but here and now, that picture in sight, she felt that she trusted him, and her last doubts faded away.

"I needed to talk to Damon; bad time for it, as it seems…"

"Tell us instead, mom"

Liz shook her head renunciatively. "Council business"

"Seriously?" Caroline incredulously glared at her. "Still your stupid little daughter who has to keep her mouth shut when the grownups are talking, mom?" she asked defiantly.

When Ric saw anger rising up in the Sheriff's eyes, he chimed in. "Everything concerning the council concerns us probably even more than the council; you know that by now, Sheriff. We know more about all that stuff than anyone in Mystic Falls. We're dealing with it for months now. And by the way, everything you would have told Damon, he would've filled us in anyway."

Considering what he had said, Liz nodded and paced back to her seat. "Since the day of that…sacrifice, there were several bodies found within a radius of about 600 miles. All of them attacked by an animal…The police succeeded to keep it mostly out of the media, because they have been … slaughtered. Torn apart by…due to the marks, obviously wolves were involved." Her eyes flickered to Tyler, who shifted in unease. "During the first days, the tracks led away from Mystic Falls; but now… now they seem to turn around and come back…"

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><p>.<p>

They went over to the mirror and positioned themselves in front of it. The screaming was unnerving, and it seemed to escape from the mirrors. Would it be even worse on the other side? Would they have to face the source of it, the cruel cause for it?

"Okay. Let's get it over with" Damon said. If they had to do it, then he preferred to do it fast. Both took a deep breath, glanced at each other, squeezed the other's hand and stepped inside.

Nothing happened to them, it was a step like every other step except the fact that once again the world was a completely different one.

The very first thing they noticed was that the blood curdling screaming abruptly had stopped. At first the silence was deafening. However, when their ears were beginning to get used to it again, they realized, that it wasn't silent at all. The sound they heard now was barely discernible, but it was there; a quiet buzzing, like electricity whirring through the air.

The environment looked much friendlier than before; the gloom had been replaced by a bright shimmery light that seemed to have no source. The ground, although still stony, looked somewhat smoother, as if it was coated by a thin layer of cotton wool. Though, like before, there was no horizon; where should be one, the ground seemed to disappear in foggy air.

Cautiously observing their surroundings, Elena and Damon found no living beings, or dead for that matter, in it; there was no movement except their own.

"This is better." Damon looked relieved.

"Much better" Elena confirmed. "Where do we go?"

Damon shrugged. "Forward." And so they did.

While they were walking, they slowly approached the fog. The closer they came, the more it looked like a wall consisting of a blurry fog, like clouds and yet different; when they looked at it, their eyes couldn't quite focus any point to catch a clear vision, akin to driving through a snow flurry.

Once they arrived at the foggy wall they noticed that it indeed was kind of a cloud hovering over the ground; it extended to both sides as far as they could see. Damon was quite certain that they would have to pass through. If he hadn't liked the idea of stepping into the mirror, the thought of passing this cloud crept the hell out of him. It evaporated something …evil.

"You think we…" Elena's tiny voice trailed off; he could hear that she sensed it too.

"Uh…as much as I don't like it…I think so."

Elena nodded miserable. "Ugh, I'm getting tired of all of this" she muttered. Damon glanced at her sympathetically; she looked exhausted. He lifted their glued hands behind her back to pull her against him, then placed them between their chests like he had done earlier and wrapped his free arm around her. Elena leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling relieved in the safeness and comfort he was giving her with his embrace.

"I know. I'm sorry" he murmured into her hair.

Frowning she asked: "For what? You've done nothing wrong."

He let out an unhappy chuckle. "I've done nothing _but_ wrong, Elena."

She sighed. "That's where you're wrong, you know that. You didn't tell him to go to Klaus to get you the cure. You didn't even know he did it. Don't crucify yourself. It was _his_ decision, and he had his reasons. And you know what? I'm glad he did it, because if he hadn't done it, you were not here embracing me right now." _And it feels much too good to have missed it…_

"_He_ would probably embrace you out there in the sunshine…"

Impatiently she cut him off. "Yeah, over your grave. Shut up, Damon. He's alive at least. You wouldn't be." They fell silent for a while, relishing the embrace they were sharing. Her words couldn't take away the guilt he felt toward his brother; but no one could blame him that they made him happier…

She braced herself, and then she pulled away and said with a deep sigh: "Let's face it." She took a step toward the blurry fog to enter it, but Damon held her back. "Wait" he said. And like earlier at the mirror, he raised his free hand and put it reluctantly into the fog. He held it in there for some seconds, until he suddenly hissed and jerked it back.

"What kind of a sick joke is that?" he yelled. Elena jumped.

"What? What is it Damon?"

"We're screwed."

"What? Why? Tell me!"

"That bloody damn fog feels like going into the sunlight without a ring! And without clothes at that, I might add." Scowling he tucked up his sleeve, examined his hand, showing Elena the sun burnt looking skin even at his arm where the sleeve had been; it had already started to heal, but it still looked … hurting.

"Oh my God." Elena's paling face looked desperate. "Maybe we should try to find a way around?"

"There won't be a way around! I'm quite sure that the damn chief witch who's playing her stupid games with us wants us to pass through!" he ranted.

Elena watched him surprised. "You think that witches are responsible for all of that?"

"Everything in here screams 'witch' to me" he growled. "Think about it, Elena. All that crap of balance of nature – who is responsible for maintaining the balance of nature? Right, the witches. And who brought us our dear visitors Anna and Vicky back, who sent us into that funny witchy game show? Witches. And all that bullshit happening to us smells like witchy woo woo crap to me. Almost as if the bitches wanna test us."

Tilting her head, Elena contemplated what he had said. She had to admit that it sounded at least possible. Suddenly a thought occurred to her mind. Burning in the sun was a vampire thing. Maybe it wouldn't happen to her? She put her free hand into the fog before Damon could react and pulled it back almost instantly. Her skin burned. In here, it wasn't just vampire related.

"What do we do now?"

Damon shrugged. "Pass through. We have no other choice." He shifted, halfway turning his back to her. "Hop on; the piggy back express is leaving in ten seconds"

"Wait, what?" Elena asked incredulous.

He turned back to look at her again, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think we should do? You want to walk through on your own? Good luck. You'll be burnt within a minute. Vamp speed is the only real chance we have."

She stared at him. "But…we have no idea how far this fog extends…"

"No" he shrugged, "let's just hope I'm fast enough to reach the other side before we end up as a pile of something that looks like someone had emptied his oversized ashtray. If there _is_ another side… Oh, don't look at me like that; I'm really fast, you know?" He lifted her chin with his finger and locked their gazes. "Until now, nothing in here was impossible to solve for us. Why should it be different now? Hey, we're a great team! Now it's my turn again. We'll make it."

Elena nodded reluctantly.

After taking Damon's other hand she managed to cling to his back. She wrapped her arms around his chest and couldn't help but relishing the feeling to be so close to him; she flushed and was glad that he couldn't see it.

"Hold on tight, and close your eyes. Ready?" he asked.

"Go ahead"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: So, no more kisses in the last chapter...let's see what this one brings...

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

_There's dry blood _

_ On your wrist_

_ Your dry blood_

_ On my fingertip_

_.  
><em>

Wires by Athlete

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><p>.<p>

It burned.

Damon tried to ignore it, but it was getting harder every second. His mind flashed back to the day he had pulled off his ring; he had been determined to die in his own way; now he didn't want to die at all, let alone let the girl on his back die. The girl that trusted him to take her safe to the other side. He had promised her they'd make it; he was resolved to keep his promise.

It burned like hell.

He clenched his teeth to prevent him from letting whining sounds escape his mouth. Elena fought the same battle; he heard her gasping in pain.

It burned. It burned. It burned!

He tried to accelerate; if they'd not be soon out of the damn fog, they were screwed. More precisely, dead. He felt his strength fade away quickly. He heard Elena hissing in an endeavor not to cry. He put all remaining power in a last effort, blurring a few more hundred yards. Then he collapsed to the ground.

And it took a while until he realized that they were safe.

At that he passed out.

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><p>.<p>

When he woke up, Damon saw Elena hovering above him. Her skin didn't look as smooth and perfect as it usually did, but he could see that it was healing; she luckily still had his blood in her system.

"Damon" she said quietly, her voice laced with fear. She feathery caressed his face with her free hand. He winced; every square inch of his skin still hurt like hell, and Elena pulled her hand back instantly.

He tried to move, but it hurt too much. Why didn't it start to heal? Damn, he was a vampire; it really _should_ heal.

"It doesn't work" Elena said, looking distraught, as if she had heard his thoughts. She looked at her own skin that was almost healed again. She compared it to Damon's; it reminded her of the day when Stefan had tried to find the moonstone in the old well full of water, charged with vervain. She narrowed her eyes; she knew, she had to do something, and she knew what it was.

"Damon" she said in a low, tender voice. "Your skin isn't healing. I don't know why, but I do know what will help you..."

Without hesitation he cut her off. "No."

"I knew you would say that…" she sighed. "Look, you're weak and I'm sure that every movement hurts. So I'm doing that conversation on my own now, okay? I will tell you that you need it; that you're weakening and that you're going to die if you don't take it. You will answer me, that you don't care, and that you won't do that to me. I will remind you then, that if you die, I'll die too, because we're stuck in here together; and that earlier you gave me all the right reasons yourself when you explained me why _you_ had to give _me_ your blood. In a nutshell, just take it."

Despite the pain the movement caused he gave her an amused grin. "Okay then. I won't hurt you." Elena raised her brows slightly in surprise; she hadn't expected him to be convinced that easily. She was good with it; even if she wasn't all excited about letting him feed on her, they weren't wasting time at least.

"Huh. Well… I know it's not that bad."

"Not that bad? No, I mean… I won't hurt you at all." Astonishment flew over his features. "Stefan drank your blood…"

"And Vicky and Klaus, and…" she trailed off and flushed.

"I did." His brows knitted. "I…" his eyes widened in shock, "I hurt you? I'm so sorry, Elena; it really didn't have to hurt, I was…"

"You were sick."

He gaped at her in disbelief. "It always hurt you? But…"

"Look, Damon, let's get it over with, okay?"

He stared at her, his blue eyes wide open. Their gazes met, and he held hers for a moment. Then he reached for her hand, trying to ignore the pain.

"Elena, I want you to close your eyes." His voice was low and soft. "Relax."

He held her hand in his, turned her arm slightly to place a gentle kiss on her wrist. He felt her body tensing beside him. "Relax. Trust me" he whispered and kissed her wrist again. He opened his lips and caressed it with his tongue, feeling his fangs and the veins underneath his eyes protruding. She let out a little gasp. _Relax __yourself,__ Salvatore!__ It__'__s__ just __about__ her, __so__ don__'__t__ lose __yourself__ in__ it..._

Elena felt his lips on her wrist. She braced herself for the coming pain; it had hurt every time someone had drunk her blood. She tried to relax as he said, but the sensation of his tongue pushed away every hope for relaxation; her heart fluttered and her stomach felt as if it was filled with buzzing flies. When she felt his razor sharp teeth lingering on her skin, she tensed for a moment, but relaxed when nothing else happened. She felt a scraping of his fangs, and only the soft pull of his mouth indicated that he was already drinking. At that an overwhelming tingling feeling spread through her veins, through her nerves, reaching every pore of her skin. And deep down, her body responded with the extraordinary need for something she never had felt before, and she didn't even know what it was that she needed. _Why __the__ hell__ was__ it__ like __that__ with__ Damon? __It__ had__ never __been__ even__ close __to __that__ with__ Stefan__…__It __had__ just__…__hurt__…_She was beyond aware of Damon's closeness, of his hands, of his lips on her wrist; a soft moan of pleasure slipped through her throat, and she wanted this to be never ending.

But sadly, Damon stopped drawing blood as soon as he knew he had enough to heal. He didn't want to weaken Elena, as much as he would have liked to go on; and he didn't want to take advantage of her, just because she had felt pleasure. He caressed her wrist with his lips and with his tongue, licking it clean of blood, and with his lips again. Still holding her underarm gently, he placed her hand on his chest, pushing his fingertips lightly on the punctured wounds his fangs had left to stop the blood flow. He looked to her face; she still held her eyes closed. "Come here, Elena" he couldn't resist saying huskily. She opened her eyes; when their gazes met, she nearly got lost in the intensity of his eyes; she bent down, straightened her legs and lay down beside him, resting her head on his chest. She felt safe.

And despite everything Bonnie had told them about not getting tired in here, well aware of each other, they both fell asleep, allowing his skin to heal.

The seconds before sleep overcame her, in the middle of kinda hell, she realized that it was too late all along, and there was nothing she could do about that. And right now, she didn't want to.

She was falling in love with Damon Salvatore.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Most little girls like to play house with their friends.

When Elena was a little girl, her friend was Matt, and they didn't play house. They played 'Astronauts On Mars Mission' or 'Indians Against Cowboys/Cavalry'. When they played their Wild West games, Matt and Elena, as Indians, were mostly fighting against the evil whites who cut their land with the railway. Very often amidst the fights a somehow singing sound announced the arrival of a train, turning the battle in favor of the Indians or, sometimes, of the whites.

What Elena heard now when she woke up was exactly the sound she always had imagined to be the first quiet singing of a train in the plains, still far away but coming closer. For a split second, she was convinced to see 8 years old Matt fighting against invisible whites when she'd open her eyes. Instead she saw Damon's chest her head was resting on and their linked hands lying right in front of her eyes. She flushed. She was lying on his chest. Again. Not knowing if he was awake, she decided to wait until the color in her face had retreated, then she lifted her head cautiously. He was watching her.

"Hi, back again?" he greeted her. She sat up.

"How long was I asleep?"

"I don't know, because I don't know how long I was asleep; not too long, I guess. I woke up an hour ago, I think." He stood up, reaching for her free hand and pulled her on her feet.

"One hour? You laid there one hour while I was asleep on your …" she cut herself off, looking abashed.

"You needed to rest after I'd taken your blood. It didn't bother me" he assured her. _No,__ I __loved__ it__…_

She sneaked a look on her wrist; the tiny wounds were no more visible. "How's your skin?" she inquired.

He tucked up one of his sleeves to show her. "As good as new, see?" He saw relief in her eyes.

"Good" she nodded once.

He pulled his sleeve down, lifted his hand to her face and brushed gently with the outside of his pointer finger over her cheek. "Thank you Elena" he said, "it means much to me that you did this. Besides saving my life" he added when he saw her face getting crimson; he didn't want to embarrass her, so he explained: "Look, I still find it hard to believe that you trust me that much that you even …" Laying her finger over his lips she quieted him.

"I told you." She breathed in deeply. Changing the subject, she asked: "You hear that?"

A grin lit up his face. "Nope. You were snoring so loudly that I'm nearly deaf now. And blind." She slapped his chest lightly and grinned back, glad that he had lightened the mood.

"Any idea where it comes from?"

"No clue."

"So we just go ahead again…" she suggested halfheartedly.

He shrugged. "What else? As far away from that hell fog as possible."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

While they were walking on, they eyed their surroundings, taking in the ambience that had changed again. It looked like on the other side of the fog, but the sound was different and there was tension in the air, and the farther they went, the stronger it became.

"We are coming closer to whatever bullshit is expecting us here" Damon muttered.

Elena glanced briefly at him. "Remember what you said about the chief witch earlier? I thought about it, and I think you're right." She had his full attention now. "I mean, I don't know if witches are involved, but for sure there is … something. And that something… It's really possible that it tests us, isn't it? And you know what I think what it is testing? If you and I… if we get along with each other, even in crisis…"

"… after crisis after crisis…" Damon interrupted growling.

"You and I not as you Damon and I Elena, but as vampire and human…it sounds weird, huh?" She looked a little insecure.

"No, it doesn't. Uh…yeah, it probably does, but I know what you mean. It was a vampire and a human who were supposed to come in here together…"

"…and it was important that both trusted each other" she added, pleased that he understood what she had talked about.

"And both had to stay together unconditionally, hands glued together." _And__ that __was__ the__ only__ good__ part__ of __it__…_

"It's about the connection of our two species…"

"…who actually are supposed to be enemies." Damon chimed in. "Well, not enemies; predator and prey."

"But we're not" Elena stated firmly.

"No. We're not" Damon confirmed, smiling at her.

She smiled back. "We are the representatives of our two species" she pointed out excitedly.

Damon stopped dead in his tracks when it dawned to him and he caught her gaze. "We're the ones to prove that both species are capable to live along with each other on earth. Because with Klaus being a hybrid now… maybe only one of them will survive…"

Elena's breath caught. With wide eyes she went on: "And we're here to prove, that both species deserve to live. That each one has unique capabilities both can benefit from! If we work together and trust each other. The tests prove it…I never would have been able to walk through that bloody fog on my own. Only a vampire could have done this…and you took me with you…"

"You came with me because you _believed_ in me. And the mirrors…" Damon remembered "I never would have dared to step through without you; I didn't see the slightest difference between them, but I trusted you …I'd be running around in this area forever …it was your humanity that led us the way."

"But without you I wouldn't have come that far" Elena explained. "I'd still be running along the wall, because I never would have found a path over that big nothing; vampire senses."

"Actually I wouldn't have had any problems with the mirrors, because without you I wouldn't have found them", Damon grinned. "I never would have helped a damn spirit to get happy…I didn't even really see her, because I didn't look at them like you do, you…human." His grin widened. "Told ya, we're a great team!"

"Yeah, we are!" Elena confirmed, smiling brightly. Her cheeks glowed in excitement. She was so beautiful; Damon couldn't avert his gaze anymore. His eyes darkened and he felt his stomach fluttering. He swallowed hard. Elena felt the sudden change in his demeanor and her heart skipped a beat before it started to race. She knew she should turn away, and _really_, she tried, but he pinned her with his gaze, and she couldn't. Instead, she moved nearly imperceptibly closer and he took a shuddering breath.

And then, forcing himself with might and main, he pulled away.

He couldn't do it. It couldn't be. Period. _Oh,__ Stefan__…_

It was getting harder each time. Since _that__ night_ they had been together all along, without any interruption, not even while sleeping they hadn't been apart. On the one hand he enjoyed it to the full; dammit, if this was his decision, they'd never be apart anymore. But on the other hand_… __It__'__ll __always__ gonna__ be__ Stefan_….

And why the hell had he always to be the one to retreat when it became dangerous between them? He was the impulsive vampire, the one without any self control. Why couldn't she help him avoiding danger? She was the one who had chosen his brother. She was the one who once had made it very clear that it would never be him. She had always been the one to reject him when he flirted with her. It had always been safe to be around her. Frustrating, but safe. However, after _that__night_ everything was different. Now she never retreated, she never flinched. She lay down beside him, head on his chest. She locked their eyes and was never the one to break away, she touched him accidentally or, more often, deliberately, ever so soft, ever so gentle…Hell, _why_ didn't she help him?

...Yeah, why _didn__'__t_ she help him?

He forcefully pushed it aside.

He couldn't do it. It couldn't be. Period.

But he didn't know how long he still could resist…

He walked on and dragged her along, almost angrily. It wasn't particularly helpful either that they needed to hold their hands; he still felt the heat radiating from her. To distract himself, he continued the conversation about the chief witch.

"It's about an item do defeat Klaus, isn't it? An item hidden in this world…"

"And if we pass the tests, we'll eventually find the item which helps us to defeat Klaus?" Elena put the pieces together. "Because only if Klaus dies, both species for sure are able to live along? It's pretty complicated…"

"Witches…" Damon muttered. "It would've sufficed if they'd watched us for the past months. Both species lived delightful together, and we even had enough crises..."

Elena couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah, that is so true…"

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

They didn't talk for a while, everyone lost in thought. Elena tossed a peek to Damon. He was clearly struggling, she could see and sense it, and she knew it because she was, too. He had retreated again, but it had been fairly dangerous. She was well aware that she couldn't have done it. She had known she should, but she was paralyzed by his gaze; and she had found herself not _wanting _to stop. What the hell was going on with her? She couldn't feel that way. They were here to find her boyfriend. The one whom she loved.

She _did_ still love him, didn't she? Yes, she did, she was absolutely certain about that. And she missed him. But… _why __had__ there __always__ to__ be__ a__ '__but__'__?..._if she was honest, to herself, at least, she would miss _him_ more than she missed Stefan right now. Every time she tried to picture herself being together with Stefan again… all she was really feeling was the implied loss of the other Salvatore. She wouldn't lose him as friend, of course; yet, what they had now was much more than friendship, even if both tried to avoid acknowledging. With Stefan back… crap! She couldn't think clearly. She needed to focus on getting Stefan back.

And to avoid anything else.

It was the right thing to do.

As right as it felt …wrong.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Sorry, still no more kisses...yet, different intimacy...hope you liked it. Review, please!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Thanks so much for your reviews, they lighten my day!

No S2 aftermath fic without a little bit of myths stuff; here goes mine...

.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

_And__ I__ saw_

_ What it was _

_ That I had done_

_ To you_

_ I was wrong_

_.  
><em>

I Was Wrong by Sleeperstar

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Damon had been right; they were getting closer to what ever it was. The tension increased, and so did the incoming-train-like sound. At some point they realized that the shimmery light actually had a source after all, and slowly they were moving toward.

At first they saw nothing than the light emanating from a spot in the distance. Approaching it more and more they identified it as a shiny cone with a rounded top that looked as if it was made of glass or crystal. Although the light was shining brightly, it wasn't blinding at all.

The cone was about 20 feet high and its surface was smooth and glossy. The sound they were hearing all along changed; it sounded more like the ringing of hundreds of tiny bells now, pleasing to their ears.

When they were only about 300 feet away, Damon frowned and came to a sudden halt, holding Elena back fiercely.

"Wait" he whispered; she froze at the sound of his voice.

"What is it?" she whispered back.

"You feel that?"

She tried to focus on her tactile senses; still she didn't sense anything unusual. "Feel what?"

"That… pull" he growled. "It feels like…magnetism."

Elena focused again. "No, I don't feel it." She tossed him a glance and saw him scowling. "What?"

"They take control. They are pulling us to that … thing, and I don't like it."

Elena narrowed her eyes and watched him cautiously. "If they are pulling us there, they most likely do have a reason, don't you think so? I mean…maybe they want to contact us…I don't know, tell us where we find the item or…Stefan…" she trailed off. "What are you worried about?"

"Maybe it's just a trap?" he suggested angrily.

"I think this is a risk we should be willing to take. Look, all the way we came here we chose the direction only by instinct. My instinct is now telling me to go to the light."

"Mine says: run."

"Where?"

"You have a point. It doesn't change the fact that I don't like it."

"Do we have any other chance?" She caught his gaze with her pleading eyes and laid her free hand gently on his chest. Damon tensed and glared at her.

"Don't do that!" he hissed. Elena flinched.

"Do what?" she asked with a puzzled look.

"Don't touch me like this! It's hard enough to hold your hand all this time!" he spat out. Her eyes widened and filled with pain; for a few seconds she looked at him and caught a glimpse of pain underneath the surface of anger; then she turned away.

Damon knew that he had hurt her; in a weird way he felt satisfied, but only for a short while.

Then her pain fell back to him and added to his own. The very last thing he ever wanted was hurting her.

"Elena…"

She didn't move. She tried hard to bite back the tears, and she didn't want him to see her fighting.

"Elena …I'm sorry." He breathed deeply and moved a little closer; she just turned a little more. "I didn't want to hurt you…"

Her head jerked around at his words. "Yes, you wanted!" she snapped. Damon winced.

"Maybe…maybe I wanted to" he admitted. "Maybe it's easier when you're mad at me."

She glowered at him; she had lost the fight and the tears fell free now. "I'm sorry that you have to hold my hand for such a terribly long time; it wasn't my idea!" she huffed.

He closed his eyes; he hated to see her crying, let alone to be the reason for her tears. "I didn't mean it."

"Yeah, clearly!" she scoffed.

Damon let out a sigh. "I meant it, but not the way you have chosen to understand it. It _is_ hard. It is because I like it to hold your hand; very much so, actually. I like it when you touch me. I like it when you're lying snuggled against me, and you're…_sleeping_! I like it that you trust me that much that you sleep with your head on my chest! I like it to feel you on my back, even if my skin's burning like hell." He paused and took a deep, shuddering breath. Her eyes had darkened and he could hear her heart racing. "I like it when you look into my eyes and I get that feeling that things aren't the same anymore, even for you. And I think you know that I like it when we kiss. But just because I like all of that so much, it really has to stop. Because it does something to me." He caressed her face with his eyes. "You know what I feel for you. It makes me wanting more. It makes me wanting you. So badly that I can't stand it anymore to know that I can't have what I want to. And that I never will."

"Damon, maybe…" He interrupted her instantly.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't say anything that makes me believe that there might be a tiny little ray of hope if I know better than that. You love Stefan and you always will. And as soon as we found him and we got him back on track, everything will be back to normal; what we had since the night I was dying will be nothing more than something you sometimes think of."

"How do you know?"

He raised his brows and tilted his head slightly. "Excuse me?"

"How do you know what you said about _me_?"

"Because you told me."

"That was long ago. How do you know what I feel today?"

He closed his eyes. "Don't" he whispered.

"How do you know" Elena went on, "what I feel today when I even don't know myself?"

"Elena…please…" He wanted so desperately to hear what she was about to say; but he knew, it would make things even more complicated.

Her voice softened. "I love Stefan. I do. But is it enough? Am I still in love with him? With everything going on for months I don't know anymore. What I'm feeling for you…" Placing two fingers gently over her lips, he cut her off.

"Stop. Talking. I mean it. I can't hear this, not now." Locking their eyes, he cupped her tear stained cheek. "You're confused. I get it. I understand. But I really need to focus on getting Stefan back now, and I can't do it when all I can think about is you. I can't do it if I'm blocked by guilt. My little bro sacrificed everything for me. I have to get him back. And when he's back, I don't want to tell him, thanks for everything, I took my chances and stole your girl." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I can't do this anymore, and I need you to stop it, too. Because I'm too close to…" He swallowed. "I can't promise that I can pull back in time the next time anything happens. Can you do that? Can you stop doing that?"

She looked him straight in the eyes. "To be honest, Damon, I'm not sure. Despite of the amount of guilt I'm feeling, I know that I _want_ to touch you, and I _want_ to sleep in your arms, and I want …I _want_ to kiss you. Because I might not know what exactly I'm feeling for Stefan; but I do know what I'm feeling when I'm with you. I know that my heart is fluttering when you're close to me; my stomach feels like it's filled with a bunch of flies when you look into my eyes; my body's tingling everywhere you touch me. I know that I feel safe with you like I never did before; I know that you make me angry like no one ever did before; but I do also know that you make me laugh in the very next moment like no one could do since my parents died. You make me feel captured and free at the same time, because I can't walk away, but with you I can be whatever I want to be. Yet, I'm quite sure you're right; we need to focus on Stefan; we both love him and want him back. And we need him to be there to clear up everything. So" she took a deep breath, "I'll try to do that, okay?" She smiled at him.

Damon looked at her with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he had heard. Had she really said that? He wanted to pull her in his arms and never let go of her anymore; instead he clutched at the straw she had reached him, buried it deep in his heart in an attempt to keep it safe; he slowly leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek.

He straightened, smiled back at her and said. "Okay. Let's go to the light."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Only a few steps further, Elena felt the magnetic pull Damon had described; it was a weird feeling, and it became stronger the closer they came to the lucent cone. It didn't pull them faster to it, they even could have paused if they'd wanted to; if they were moving though, they found themselves forced to move toward the light.

They walked slowly, but didn't hesitate anymore; so it took them less than two minutes to stand at the cone's foot. Elena tentatively put her fingertips on the surface; when she realized that nothing bad happened and it felt good, she laid her palm on it. The light flickered, and then it shone a little brighter. She had the strange feeling, that she instinctively had done what had been expected of her; she encouraged Damon with a lifting of her chin, pointing to the cone, to imitate her. He narrowed his eyes, but did as she wordlessly had suggested. Again the light flickered and shone much brighter than before, as if they had completed something.

And then they heard the voice. It came that unexpected that Elena jumped; like most of the other noises in this world, it didn't seem to have a source; nevertheless Elena was certain that it emanated from the cone. It sounded familiar to both of them, although neither Damon nor Elena ever had heard it; at first, they couldn't quite put their finger on it why it sounded so familiar; then it clicked. They recognized Bonnie's voice in it, but also Emily's and Bree's voice; they could even sound out the voices of the Martins. It seemed to be the blend of many, maybe all witches, living and dead.

"Vampire" the voice announced, and after a moment: "Human."

Damon straightened up. "Chief witch" he greeted mocking.

"Damon!" Elena whispered, shooting him a warning look.

He raised his brows and lifted his shoulders lightly. "What? Told ya that's a witchy thing."

The voice was unimpressed. "You came here to ask for help."

"You lured us here to give us something, because _you_ want the balance to be restored" Damon growled angrily. He _really_ hated witches.

The voice cut right to the chase. "The one who inclined the balance of nature has to be stopped. If you don't succeed, the world as you know it will be torn apart."

"It's always good to hear encouraging words" Damon muttered.

"If you succeed" the voice went on unperturbed, "you will receive what you are longing for so urgently."

At that Elena's heartbeat fastened and she chimed in for the first time. "You mean Stefan?"

"The vampire is the wanted." The voice confirmed. "You passed. You will obtain our help."

"Hey, we won the price? What is it, a new car?"

Elena tossed him a glare; then she turned back to the shiny cone. "Can you tell us how to find Stefan?"

"You will find him." The voice simply stated.

Damon's amused grin crumbled. "Seriously? You send us ghosts to convince us of the absolute necessity to come in here, play all those merry little games with us, just to use a shiny rock to tell us all Star Trek that we will find him? What kind of crap is that?" he ranted. He turned to Elena who had squeezed his hand to calm him down and flashed her a glance. "What?" he snapped.

"Not helping" she muttered and addressed the cone again. "You offered us some help. If you can't tell us how to find Stefan, do you have at least the ability to tell us why Klaus took him? What does he need him for?" Damon's head jerked toward Elena at her challenging tone; he could see that she was angry too, and a wry grin stole its way back on his face, tugging the corners of his lips lightly upward. When he heard the response to Elena's question, his face fell as fast as the grin had appeared.

"The hybrid is the first of a new species now. One that is nearly invincible. Once he successfully produces as many of his kind as he wants to, he receives the capability to rule the world. For this purpose he needs the vampire you are looking for."

Elena felt her blood rushing out of her head, and her legs began to tremble. Damon felt her staggering and moved closer to steady her. He entwined his free arm around her waist, and with a look at her pale face he pulled her down to sit on the ground. Leaning her back against his chest and closing her eyes, Elena wondered if they still could talk to the voice; neither of them held their palm at the cone anymore. At that moment she didn't care. She didn't want to hear what Stefan's purpose in building an army of hybrids could possibly be. But apparently the many-or-maybe-all-witches-voice didn't need their connection to the glassy rock; it gave the requested answer even if it wasn't requested anymore.

"Certainly this is what he wants. Not today or tomorrow. He most likely will savor his new life now. Though in the long run, he for sure will be working on building up a new race. And they will fight for him, because he as the first will be their master."

When Damon cut in, his voice was hoarse. "What's Stefan's part in this?"

The voice went on in the same emotionless way as before. "The hybrid needs the vampire's blood."

Elena's head shot up, but Damon was faster. "Why Stefan?"

"He has a unique relationship to the doppelganger. He is the one who had shared his blood with her willingly and had drunken hers, also given willingly. His blood is the key to build up the race of hybrids."

Elena's body went rigid and she felt her stomach churning; tears welled up too fast to bite them back; she tried to suppress the sobbing, but it didn't work either.

Damon felt her body stiffen and sensed the tears before they spilled; he just knew she'd break down right now. It was inevitable; she had been too strong for months. He did the only thing he could do; he turned her around to hold her tight, wrapping his free arm securely around her, stroking her back; he didn't say a word; there was nothing to say that would have helped her anyway.

When the sobbing eventually ebbed away, he heard her speaking, her voice muffled against his chest where her face still was buried in; she didn't want to lift her head up, coming out of his safe embrace; never again. "It's all about me. Why does it always have to be about me?" At that the sobbing started anew.

Damon's heart ached for the girl in his arms. She was the most caring being he ever had met; it must be hell for her to feel responsible for so much pain, again. Suddenly a thought occurred to him; what had the bitches voice said? Unique relationship to the doppelganger? Both had shared their blood willingly? He didn't think for long. He only wanted to stop her pain.

"Elena, I can bring him back."

Her head jerked up instantly. "Don't you dare to think about it!" she hissed.

"What?" He looked puzzled.

"I know what you're thinking. You want to change places with Stefan, because my relationship to him isn't anymore as unique as the bitches are thinking." Damon couldn't help but grin inwardly about her choice of name for the owners of the voice; apparently he rubbed off on her. "And you definitely won't do that. Promise me that you won't do that; that you won't sneak away to do it secretly. Promise!" she insisted.

"Elena…"

"Promise!" she yelled. "Because if you don't promise me, I will go to Liz and ask her for handcuffs and chain myself to you. And if you even try to do it, I will go to Klaus to be his servant or whatever he wants me to be, just to be with…" Another attack of sobbing overwhelmed her.

For the second time in here, in this strange, hostile world, Elena rendered him speechless. What was she saying? She fought for him to stay with her. Instead of fighting for him to bring her boyfriend back. She was choosing … what? What was she doing?

He moved slowly, hesitantly, cupped her face with his free hand and caught her eyes. "I promise" he said quietly. She pinned him with her furious gaze, and he felt his will to restrain fade away, when suddenly the voice went on as if nothing had happened.

"Everything concerning the curse and the hybrid is bound to the doppelganger because the original, the First Woman was involved." Both Elena and Damon detached themselves from each other and listened highly interested to the witches.

"Who was she?" Elena's voice was low, cautious.

"She was the mother of the originals. The one who betrayed her husband to give birth to a werewolf's son."  
>"Elijah's mother was the first Petrova?"<p>

"Her name wasn't Petrova. She was the one the doppelganger was created of. She was the responsible person for the menace of the existence of a hybrid. She had to be the one whose blood bound the werewolf side to prevent the existence of a hybrid as redress for her mistake. But then something happened that was not supposed to happen. The witch who had cast the spell over the moonstone fell for Klaus. He convinced her to find a possibility to wake up the werewolf sleeping inside of him. Katerina Petrova was not the only one who brought the shame of a child born outside marriage over her family. Beside the werewolf's bastard, the First Woman had a daughter, years before she met the man she married. So the foolish witch created the doppelganger, bound to the line of the first daughter. And she did even more. She offered him the ability, once he was a true hybrid, to create his own race. The only condition was the reunion of a doppelganger with a vampire; a symbolic act of renunciation of the werewolves."

"Wait. Isn't it paradoxical?" Damon cut in. "The reunion with a vampire as a symbolic act of renunciation of the werewolves enables Klaus to create the cross between vampire and werewolf? That's… stupid crap!" He scowled. "Witches…"

"Even a witch in love does stupid things. She had been punished, but it was too late; the spells had been cast and they were irreversible. Over the centuries, when it became clear that Klaus wouldn't give in until he'd have achieved what he was longing for, witches created a last option to stop him once he'd be a hybrid. They created The Seven. Seven stones, akin to the moonstone, but smaller. And they hid them well, where normally neither a human nor a supernatural entity could reach it."

"They are hidden in here, in the intermediate world" Elena whispered.

"That is right" the witch voice confirmed. "Only a human and a vampire together can enter _and_ leave this world. The bond entwining these two species has to be strong to develop enough power to destroy the hybrid. So they can pass through it only with an immense amount of trust. You saw that today, und you did it. You proved to be worth to receive The Seven. To use it, each one of them has to be hold of one person. And added to vampire and human, you need at least one representative of every other supernatural species."

"So a witch" Elena counted. Damon held his thumb up. "Bonnie."

"A vampire" she went on. Damon counted with his fingers. "Blondie and me."

"A werewolf." Damon grinned. "Fortunately I didn't kill him. Four."

"And a human." "Ric, Jeremy and a very stubborn girl…what?" With a grin on her face, Elena slapped him with her free hand on his thigh. "Seven. This isn't a coincidence, is it? If we were 5 guys, they would have created The Five, wouldn't they?" Damon chuckled. "Now we're seven, and we do… What do we have to do with it, by the way?"

"The witch will know."

"And where will we find them?" Elena demanded emphatically. She desperately wanted to leave this scary world as fast as possible. Not that outside wouldn't be waiting any danger for them; but at least it was _their_ world where they could trust their senses and could walk around freely…kind of.

However, when the voice responded, it sounded as if it was fading away. "You already did…"

"What?" They stared at each other with equal puzzled looks. "What do you mean?"

There was no more answer. Damon felt anger rising up in his throat. "Hey!" he shouted, but obviously the owners of the voice had disappeared. "Damn witches! You're wrong, we didn't find anything! You entertain us with fairytales, and than you leave us without giving us what we came for? What you _called_ us for giving us? Seriously?" Damon bawled and slammed his fist against the rock in front of them. A clacking sound drew their attention to the rock's foot.

"Damon…" Elena whispered, eyes wide open in surprise. He had seen it. They were sitting on the ground, in a distance of merely two feet to the glassy rock; distributed within that gap between them and the rock there were lying several small stones which looked as if they had been broken out of the cone in front of them; they had the size of marbles, but their surface wasn't as sooth; seven stones. The Seven.

Making a face, Damon muttered: "Who knew you'd like it rough…"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own anything; If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: I'm really glad about the amount of people following my story! Until now I managed to update every day; sadly I can't uphold this schedule anymore...You know, the work (the one that earns me money ...), my children and strange things like sleep (sometimes it would be good to have more than three hours though...) keep me from writing. I hope I can update every three days...put it on alert so you won't miss it...:-)

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

_Not ready to let go_

_Cause then I'd never know_

_What I could be missing_

_._

Down by Jason Walker

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><p>.<p>

They had examined the stones but found nothing special about them; Damon had plugged them into the pockets of his jeans.

"I think we're done here; let's get our asses home" he suggested, and a grin spread over his face; he was as glad as the human girl tacked to his hand about finally going home again.

Elena nodded fiercely. "Which way should we go?"

"I honestly have no clue" Damon replied, glancing at her questioningly. "I'm guessing it's your turn to lead us out of here. Didn't Bonnie say so?"

She nodded again in silent agreement. She glanced around and closed her eyes briefly and then decided to go on like before. She didn't know if this was the right direction; actually it felt like there was no right or wrong direction at all. It didn't matter which way they went, if only they put space between the rock and themselves. However, she chose that way just to get as far away as possible from the fog that nearly had killed Damon.

At first they walked in silence, but after a short while Elena broke it. "What do you think, how long have we been in here by now?"

Damon shrugged. "I don't know, it feels like about one day and one night, maybe a little longer; but I don't know how long we were sleeping; not too long though, I think."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too. You know" she suddenly changed the subject, "I'm curious if Bonnie really knows what to do with The Seven. She didn't even know what the item was when we were out there."

"Maybe she'll know what to do when she sees them. Maybe she remembers something she hadn't known to be important …ugh, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see…"

They kept quiet again. And again it was Elena who broke the silence.

"We still don't know at all how to find Stefan…" she said in a low, sad voice.

Damon tossed her a brief side glance and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "They told us we'll find him."

"You trust their words?" Elena looked baffled.

"Nope. I never trust any witches…except Bonnie, maybe; when it comes to you, at least. But they sounded very confident. And they were right with the stones, too."

"Do you…do you think we'll come in time? To save his humanity, I mean?" she asked in a tight voice, brows furrowed, fear in her eyes.

"Elena, I won't lie to you. It will be much harder than last time. It's two or three days now, and God knows how long it will still take to find him; and he doesn't even pretend to be clean this time. He will completely give in his blood lust, given the fact that Klaus surely is pushing him; and that makes it much worse. Last time he clung to his humanity, this time he probably will forfeit it. But once we'll get him back, we _will_ bring him back on track…I promise."

And for the third time within a few minutes Elena nodded as an answer. "I'm just asking because…I still remember that nightmare I had, you know, the one about Stefan."

Although walking, he pinned her with his gaze. "Elena, what is it? What haven't you told me?" he asked cautiously.

She hesitated; it had been only a nightmare, just a damn dream, why the hell couldn't she shake it off? And why did she allow it to disturb her that much? Although she felt a little childish, she decided to talk about the odd feeling she'd have. "You're right, I didn't tell you everything about it; I only told you, that he was evil in my dream. Bad enough, I mean, my dreams about him had always been good ones, full of love and…this nightmare…he wasn't just evil; he wanted to…he wanted to kill me."

Damon's face fell, and he swallowed; he hadn't known that. When he spoke, his voice was tinged with pain. "I thought you were dreaming about things he did to others. I didn't know that he attacked you in your dream." Elena watched him attentively; he seemed to ascribe more weight to that dream than she had expected.

"No" she said tentatively, "he didn't attack me. He just looked up to me, and…I _knew_ that he was going to kill me. He…he was _willing_ to kill me; he was…" A shivery sigh escaped her mouth; she couldn't go on anymore. The very thought of the nightmare she had avoided to think about terrified her; Damon gazed at her and saw her shaking in trepidation, wide-eyed staring at him, her face paled. He hesitated only a second; then he grabbed her shoulder and turned her to take her in his arms. He wrapped his free arm around her shoulder and held her tight, and she let him hold her.

When the trembling ceased, she detached herself from Damon's embrace, gave him a grateful glance and moved on. "It didn't feel like a nightmare, you know? It was so …real" she stated silently. "I even considered if it maybe _was_ real. But I was with you that night. He couldn't have managed to do this to me with you by my side, could he?"

Damon shook his head. "No, he couldn't. I would have woken up if he had tried to come close enough. Besides, you were on vervain, weren't you?"

She nodded. "It most likely was an ordinary nightmare. It's just…with everything you told me, I'm horrified of not getting rid of that picture of the nightmare in my mind anymore…I don't want to see my boyfriend like that for ever…"

He squeezed her hand. "You won't. Once he's back to normal, you will see him like you always did. You knew before that he had done bad things in his past; still you didn't see him like a ripper."

"That was before I _saw_ the evil in his eyes…"

"You saw me doing bad things, and still…"

She cut him off. "Damon, this is something completely different. I never ever saw evil in you. What I saw in Stefan's eyes… he savored his cruelness. You had switched off your feelings, so you didn't care. It's not the same."

Words escaped him. He knew what she was talking about; and he knew that she was right. He remembered his own feelings toward Stefan's behavior in the first time after being turned. Back then, he even couldn't bear it anymore; he had to leave him.

He mentally kicked himself for defending his brother, as if he _wanted_ her to be together with Stefan again, but he had to say it. "You know that this is only one part of him. In a clear mind, the good one, the saint-Stefan-brooding-part dominates."

Elena agreed. "Yes, it does. But that doesn't mean that the other part isn't real. And I don't know if I could ever trust him again like I did." _If I could be with him as my boyfriend again…_

For a minute nothing could be heard than their footsteps on the ground, until Damon said in a low voice: "He will need you…"

"I know…"

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><p>.<p>

They moved on, and this time they remained silent for about five minutes until Damon stopped dead in his tracks. Elena turned to watch him. "Damon, why…" she trailed off when she saw Damon's face; he was visibly taken aback.

"I'm stuck." He scowled.

"What? What do you mean? Is there a barrier, like at thresholds where you're not invited in?"

"No. It's like that day when I was in the dead witches' mansion for the first time; I can't move my feet" Damon growled; then he suddenly lifted up his head to glare into the not existing sky above them and ranted: "Don't worry, I don't like you either!"

Elena' gaze dropped down to his feet, as if she could find something there to help him. She felt desperation creeping into her mind; what the hell were they supposed to do now? As if they hadn't been punished enough yet, she heard Damon gasping. Alerted, her gaze shot up again and she saw his face paling even more than it usually was; he staggered slightly. Instantly she shifted, twining her free arm around his waist to steady him. Her heart was pounding; what was going on here? Damn, how could she help him?

"Elena…" he barely managed to speak "you have to try to go back on your own; they need The Seven…" She could see that he was weakening fast.

"Shut up, Damon," she cut him off fiercely, "we're not in a bad western; I won't leave you!" Her mind was racing; there had to be a way…Something must have gone wrong…what the hell could it be? What did they do? She forced herself to calm down to regain her capability of thinking straight. It was not getting easier when Damon's legs couldn't support him any more and buckled; she gently helped him to sit on the ground. Then she focused again on what they had done earlier. The chat with the witches' voice whirled through her mind; all species together … the stones… vampire and human …trust.

"Damon, the stones!" she blurted out. "Where are they?"

He opened his eyes briefly, then they fell shut again. He was fighting unconsciousness. "Pockets…" he murmured almost unhearable. Elena reached with her free hand into his trouser pockets and grabbed the stones; she hadn't even time to flush in embarrassment about fumbling in his pockets. When she was sure to hold all seven stones in her hand, she managed to push them one by one between their glued palms. She wrapped her arm around him to a tight embrace; now she only could hope to have done the right thing…

All of a sudden a familiar feeling set in; her head started to spin. With Damon still leaning against her, she couldn't remain seated anymore; their bodies entwined, they slumped down to the ground, The Seven securely pressed between the palms of both of them. Elena felt him getting slack when unconsciousness eventually overcame him; she buried her head deep into the curve of his neck, breathing in his scent. The spinning feeling spread through her body and she felt the ground fading away; and then finally unconsciousness released her.

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><p>.<p>

Chanting.

It was the very first thing Elena became aware of.

It took a while before she noticed that she knew the chanting voice. Bonnie.

Then she realized that she was laying on the ground, entwined in a tight embrace with … someone. Someone whose familiar scent was causing the spreading of a warm feeling around her heart.

Damon.

Damon!

Like a tidal wave the events rushed back into her mind.

Her head jerked up to look at his face. He didn't move at all. Elena's stomach turned into a knot. She didn't hear the voices calling her name. She shrugged off the hands that wanted to help her. She jumped up on her knees and bent over the vampire whose hand still was tacked to hers. He still didn't move. Tears were falling freely. An awkward silence set in, but she didn't realize that either. With her free hand she cupped his face, stroking it.

"Damon!" Her tears were falling on his lifeless face, wetting his cheeks similar to hers. "Damon! Wake up please!" Urging this time. Pleading. "No, no, no, no, no!" Desperate. And then getting angry. "Open your damn eyes, you ass!"

The corners of his lips tugged up to a grin so slightly that she almost missed it. But she didn't. She stared at his face until he finally opened his eyes. When their gazes met, his light grin faded away. Eyes locked, they stared at each other for what seemed like eternity. And then she whispered: "We're home." A wide grin spread over his face and she mirrored it instantly. With his free arm he pulled her down on his chest again, holding her as tight as he dared without hurting her. It was then when a delicate hand gently loosened their entwined hands and carefully took the stones to keep them equally safe. It took them a while to realize the freedom their second arms had regained; but then they knew again how to tighten their embrace. And they did.

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><p>.<p>

The ones who had stayed at the boarding house proved good manners and moved to another room to give the travelers some space.

After a while relishing the closeness of each other and the safety they felt to be home again, Damon eventually broke the intimate silence. He shook his head lightly and said in a stunned voice: "You really made it. How did you know?" He stroked her head, hands tangled in her hair.

Elena shrugged. "I didn't. It was the only possibility I could think of."

He blinked; then he sat up, drawing her with him, not yet ready to let her go, leaning against the couch beside them. "Stubborn girl." Closing his eyes, he buried his face for a moment into her hair. "I told you to go on your own."

"I told you I wouldn't leave you." She smiled up at him. "Don't you get it? It was a risk I was willing to take. It worked. Everything's fine. We did it."

"Yeah" he chuckled. "We finally did it."

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><p>.<p>

A few minutes later Ric came in, carefully balancing a tray with some tumblers and a canter with bourbon, two mugs with steaming coffee and two blood bags on it. With an apologetic look he placed it on the table in front of them. "We need to talk"

With a sigh they disengaged themselves from each other; it was the first time since Damon had taken Elena's hand to step together into the pentagram that they were apart, and both felt it as a loss. Their gazes met for a second, then both broke away; Elena grabbed a mug and took a sip of coffee; Damon poured himself a blood bag into a tumbler and downed it in seconds; then he poured bourbon into two tumblers, reached one over to Ric and took a sip from the other one.

He contemplated for a moment to take a seat in his favorite armchair, but a brief glance to the girl curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace convinced him to forgo the armchair. Like before their trip he snatched her feet and placed them on his lap. They had been linked for such a long time; he couldn't imagine being without that contact for longer than a few minutes ever again; so he allowed himself this intimate gesture. He glanced at Elena and was relieved to see the expression on her face; as far as he could tell, this feeling seemed to be mutual. Still, he was well aware that they had to stop doing this now; back home again there was no more official reason to be linked; despite everything that had happened between them, out here they were nothing more than brother and girlfriend of Stefan's, who was still missing and had to be saved. Damon knew that, and he knew that he had to come to terms with it; the earlier the better.

He came to a decision; with a resolute expression on his face, he downed his bourbon, gave Elena's feet a gentle squeeze and lowered them to the floor. The emptiness he felt instantly was even stronger than earlier, now that he new it had to be lasting. He strode over to the liquor table, poured himself some more booze and remained standing there, avoiding her gaze that lingered on his features.

Elena understood. They were done. She had watched him and had examined the changing expressions in his features. She had seen the pain, but also the determination and she knew he was doing the right thing. Only she wasn't quite sure anymore what was right and what was wrong; however, they had to focus on their save-Stefan-mission now. Taking a deep breath and tossing him a sad glance, she braced herself, turned toward the others who meanwhile had strode in and settled down on the couches and armchairs, and began to tell them all about their trip to the intermediate world. Well, almost all about it…

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><p>.<p>

"Where are The Seven right now actually?" Damon, now lounging in the armchair in front of the fireplace, applied to Bonnie; he remembered vaguely that it must have been her who took the stones out of their still glued hands. She nodded, stood up and paced over to the coffee table where she had put her purse on earlier. She took them out, placed them on the palm of her outstretched right hand to show them to the others.

"Marvelous, huh?" Damon's voice was laced with the hint of disdain.

Bonnie spared him a glance. "You went through hell to get it, and you both nearly died more than once, Damon. Give them some credit." He glared at her but said nothing; it was hardly her fault that he was cranky; he didn't have to take it out on her. _Hell, when had he become all Gandhi?_

Tyler chimed in. "Do you have any idea what to do with those, Bonnie? This voice told Elena and Damon you'd know."

"Not yet" she shook her head. "I have to go through my grimmoires, I guess. Maybe in the ones of the Martins…"

"You should probably take them home with you, Bonnie" Alaric suggested. "If this is the only thing that can harm Klaus, they should be at a safe place. And your house is the only one that is still completely vampire safe, isn't it?"

"Klaus has been invited in only at Ric's and the Gilbert's house…" Caroline objected but was cut off of Damon.

"Yes, Blondie. But my dear little brother had been everywhere except at Bonnie's."

"Yeah, right…I forgot about that" Caroline agreed murmuring. Everyone understood very well what she didn't say; she couldn't manage to picture Stefan as a threat.

"Uh, guys?" Jeremy cut in, looking a little insecure. "Klaus can easily compel someone to go inside. Wouldn't they be safer at the boarding house, though? I mean, Damon is here …" He trailed off when he realized that he sounded like a groupie.

Damon gaped at him incredulously. "I'm really touched, Gilbert, that you think I can stand up to the biggest baddie ever…" He rolled his eyes. "I really think it's a good idea for Ju…for Bonnie to take and hide it. Apparently I'm a little predictable in the choice of my hiding places."

"Alaric?" Elena raised her voice for the first time since they had been done telling about their trip. "When you said earlier that we needed to talk, did you only mean to hear all about our little adventure? I had the impression that you wanted to tell us something, too."

Ric flinched. _Wanted_ to tell was not really the right word for it… but they needed to. "Liz was here earlier. It seems like there have been attacks by animals…" he paused, not knowing how to tell Elena without hurting her too much.

Damon instantly knew what he was talking about. He closed his eyes in annoyance. Would that damn night ever come to an end? Opening his eyes again, he sneaked a look at Elena. Assessing the expression on her face, she knew as well.

Nobody said a word; nobody wanted to be the messenger, too afraid to hurt her. He sighed.

"Wolf marks?" he suggested matter-of-factly. "Slaughtered?" Silent, hesitant nodding all around. Eying Elena, he found his assumption confirmed. She had known. Eyes shut, brows furrowed she asked: "Klaus and …Stefan?" Her eyes popped open again, and she looked straight to Damon. He was the only one who would tell her the crude facts without making an effort to protect her from the truth. He always had done. He nodded, and she mimicked his movement, acknowledging the facts.

Elena turned to face one by one; there was more about it, she could see it. What did they still hide?

"What is it?" se demanded angrily.

Tyler decided that she really should know, for her own safety, and that he could take it to be the messenger.

"After the sacrifice, the tracks led away from Mystic Falls. Now they are heading back here, as it seems…"

Elena's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

"I assume that Stefan didn't forget his deodorant…" Damon grumbled. Elena made a face at him. When their eyes locked, he let out another sigh.

"It means that I won't let you out of my sight anymore…"

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><p>.<p>

Elena woke up in a dark room, completely disoriented. She had the odd feeling that she should know where she was, that she should know why the scent lingering in the air was so familiar. It took more than a minute until it dawned to her that she had slept in Stefan's bed.

She didn't remember how she came here; the last thing she knew was that she had been curled up on the couch while they all had discussed the reason for the turn of events. She had felt exhausted, and she remembered that she desperately had wished to go home, taking a shower and slipping into her bed. Apparently she had fallen asleep on the couch, and someone _make a wild guess who?_ had carried her upstairs, laid down on Stefan's bed, pulled her shoes out and tucked her in; she gratefully noted that she was still wearing her clothes.

She wondered why he had chosen his brother's bed. The night before _had that really been just one night ago?_ he had decided to take one of the guest rooms. Why now Stefan's? Did he really think she'd feel good in here? Well, she didn't. To be honest, she felt terrible. She felt alone, and guilty and… frightened. The nightmare was still clinging to her mind; and now that she knew they seemed to come back to Mystic Falls…

She had to get out of here. She slipped out of the bed, snatched her shoes and sneaked out of the room. In the hallway she paused briefly; where should she go now? She couldn't go home; not now, in the middle of the night, all on her own, at that. She tiptoed to the staircase; when she passed Damon's room, she stood still for a moment, throwing a wistful glance at the door, knowing fully well that the dark haired vampire she was longing to be with was lying in his bed behind it. The same bed she had been sleeping in for the last two nights, snuggled against him.

She shook her head fiercely to free her mind from these thoughts and crept downstairs. She turned to the parlor and settled down on the armchair in front of the fireplace. His favorite armchair. The one where he had taken refuge tonight. She swallowed hard; he had fled from _her._ When she wanted him so badly to come back to her…Her eyes were brimming with tears she refused to shed.

She paced over to the liquor table and poured bourbon into one of the tumblers, taking it with her, back to the armchair. While taking a sip of the throat burning liquid she stared at the still crackling fire. Suddenly she noticed shards of glass she was sure had not been there earlier. Her heart ached for him, she could nearly sense the pain he had felt that moment he had thrown the glass into the fire. She swallowed the rest of the bourbon in one gulp, strode over to refill her tumbler; within two minutes she downed it, too.

Sadly, it didn't work. It didn't numb the pain she was feeling, neither the one she felt for him nor her own.

She needed some air. Now. She didn't think about it for long; she put on her shoes, sneaked toward the front door, opened it as quiet as possible, stepped out and left the door ajar. Then she breathed in deeply and paced over toward the edge of the wood, wanting nothing more than to put some space between herself and the boarding house where he was sleeping in. When she reached the first trees, she turned around to glare at the house; why had it to be that complicated? Didn't they have enough problems?

Caught up in her anger, she didn't hear the silent rustling coming from behind her. Not possessing enhanced hearing, she wouldn't have noticed anyway that it wasn't an animal striding through the brushwood. However, she didn't even hear it.

Until it was too late.

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><p>.<p>

A/N: Oooh, cliffhanger...


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: So it only took two days for this one. Sorry for the cliffhanger...(actually, strike that. I'm not sorry at all...). Let's see who's sneaking up on her now...

Enjoy...and review!

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><p>.<p>

**Chapter 11**

_I don't know where you came from_

_And I don't know where you've gone_

_Old friends become old strangers_

_Between the darkness and the dawn_

_._

Amen Omen by Ben Harper

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><p>.<p>

She felt the hair on her arms rising. She wasn't alone anymore. Someone was standing right behind her. For a second she thought it was Klaus, finishing what he thought to have done some days ago but due to John had failed. She froze.

Then a familiar scent hit her nose she had smelled just half an hour ago. Stefan.

The nightmare of the night before flashed through her mind and her heart skipped a beat. She should be relieved to see him, shouldn't she? They had desperately tried to find him, and now he was here, right behind her. She really should be relieved, glad even. Instead she was just…frightened.

And she wished badly to have stayed in the house.

With all the mental strength she could muster, she turned to watch him, involuntarily backing away from him, hoping against her better judgment that he was…okay. At first he looked pretty normal; yet, there was something on his face that hadn't been there three days ago. He gazed at her with an unfathomable expression. His eyes, usually filled with emotion, were looking completely unimpressed by the fact that he was standing in front of his girlfriend. She could have been anybody else; it hadn't made any difference.

She forced a smile on her face. "Stefan" she said, trying to put the love she felt for him in the one word. She failed miserably. It sounded like nothing but fear.

Possibly due to the undeniable fact that she was afraid of him, she saw a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes; as fast as it had appeared, it vanished, leaving coldness on his features.

Elena straightened; this was her boyfriend she was talking to; she loved him and had gone through hell to find him. And here he was. She wouldn't flinch. There was still humanity, well hidden, but it was there; she had seen it.

"We were looking for you." Her voice stronger now, she managed to put genuine concern in it.

"Hello Elena" he finally said. At that, Elena's new found strength crumbled and her stomach churned. He sounded like splintering ice. Like in her nightmare, she could now feel something evil evaporating from him, and she had the blood curdling feeling, almost like a premonition, that she was lost.

Still, she didn't give in. Not yet. "Why didn't you answer my text? You should have known how worried I'd be" she accused him.

"I had better things to do" he simply said coldly.

She felt anger rising up, covering the fear inside. "Like what? Killing and torturing innocent people? Together with your new buddy Klaus? Having fun together?"

Once again his mask cracked and emotion shone through; a well known expression showed up on his face; Elena realized that it still pained him what he did.

And then he pushed the button. She nearly could hear the click.

He lifted his brows and gave her a smile that tugged up the corners of his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. "We're some funny guys, you know."

A shiver ran down her spine at the sound of his icy voice, but she wouldn't give up on him. She was determined to bring back any emotion into his heart; he was here after all, surely this meant something. It was probably her best chance to help him, maybe her only chance.

"I don't buy this crap" she snapped and added, pleading now: "This isn't you, Stefan!"

He laughed. And it was that laughter that eventually made all her hopes shatter. Never before she had heard a sound like that. It sounded like… pure death.

She made one more effort to reach him; swallowing down her fear, she stepped toward him and laid a hand gently on his chest, gazing him in the eyes. He leaned in, and for a split second, she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead he breathed in deeply through his nose and straightened again.

"It didn't take you long to switch from one brother to the other" he growled.

Elena flushed. "It's not what you think…"

"Isn't it always not what one thinks?" he huffed.

"We went through hell together to save…"

He interjected. "You have drunken his blood."

"I was injured. I would have died if I hadn't."

"Is this why every inch of you smells like him?" Stefan asked seemingly uninterested now. The picture of their shared kiss rushed through her mind and she flushed again. This, however, caused a reaction; his eyes darkened and she saw in horror the veins underneath his eyes protruding; she knew that he must have heard her increasing heartbeat and the blood rushing through her jugular veins. And before she could even think of an answer she saw him inching closer, his reddened eyes pinned on her neck. Raising her hands defensively she reeled back one step, but it was futile; in a blur he was over her. He held her by her upper arms, pulled her closer and, grabbing her hair with one hand, yanked her head aside, exposing her neck in a fluent movement. Elena glared at him, but flinched when she saw his fangs descended. "Stefan! No. It's me, Elena. You don't want this" she urged, and for a second his eyes held emotions again; he looked confused and hesitated, releasing her a little.

But the moment was gone before she could react. He hauled her closer and, tilting her head for better access, bent forward. She didn't give in without a fight. "No! Stefan, it's me, your girlfriend. You won't hurt me!" she shouted and tried to shove him back, punching her fist against his chest. Completely unimpressed by her try to defend herself, he held her fiercely without the lightest effort.

For a second, she was distracted by the stinging hurt his fangs caused on her neck. Then she fought his attack again tooth and nail, but it was pointless; physically he was much too strong, mentally she couldn't reach him anymore.

He wasn't gentle at all. Despite her overwhelming fear she couldn't help but thinking of Damon drinking blood from her wrist. Stefan didn't care if he hurt her. It felt almost as if he was about to rip her flesh off her neck and it hurt like hell. She screamed and was eerily remembered at the screaming behind the mirrors. He drank too much, she knew he was about to drain her dry. Her head started spinning and she was fighting against unconsciousness when she suddenly found herself lying on the ground. She heard a loud thud accompanied by growling; she barely managed to open her eyes and saw nothing but blurring shadows; then her eyes fell shut and she drifted away into darkness.

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><p>.<p>

At some point they had decided to stop the effectless discussion for tonight; everyone was beyond tired and needed to sleep; so they all left, except Alaric, who still wanted to stay in the offered guestroom. Elena was sleeping in Stefan's bed.

They sat in armchairs, well filled tumblers in hands, staring into the crackling fire.

"So" Alaric began after a few minutes of comfortable silence, "what happened?"

Damon sneaked a glance toward his…friend. "We told you."

"The rest of it" Ric said quietly.

Damon closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. "It's complicated."

Ric nodded, and they fell silent again.

"It's not just you, you know?" Ric said cautiously after a while.

Damon tossed him a side glance without turning his head. "Yeah, I know. Still." After a minute he added: "We kissed."

"Huh."

Unknowingly Damon licked his lips. "I broke off…."

"You did?" Ric wasn't as surprised as Damon had expected.

"Just me" he said with lightly knitted brows.

Ric nodded again. "Told ya."

Downing their shots, they fell silent again.

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><p>.<p>

Jeremy was about to fall asleep, when he heard a voice. "Jer!"

His eyes popped open and he saw Anna and Vicky, standing near the door. He glanced briefly at Bonnie; she was already sleeping. He slipped out of the bed, tiptoed over to the door, opened it cautiously and sneaked out; waving with his hand, he signaled the girls to follow him. Together they went downstairs to the kitchen. He went over to the fridge, opened it and grabbed a juice carton. Dodging the walk over to the cabinet for taking a glass, he drank directly from the carton.

Anna watched him with mock disgust. "Ew, don't you take a glass anymore?"

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders. "The use of glasses is overrated." Vicky grinned.

"What's wrong that you had to wake me up? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow? I'm really tired."

"No," Anna said with an apologetic gaze. "It couldn't."

Vicky enunciated: "We're leaving."

Jeremy nearly choked on juice. "What? Why?"

"Why? I thought you wanted us to leave as soon as possible?"

"No! Uh…Yes, but…_so_ soon?" He once had loved both of them, after all.

"We're done here" Anna explained. "Elena and Damon have found those little stones. We can finally move on. The intermediate world is not really a nice place to be, you know?"

"Yeah, they told us…"

"We wanted to say good bye" Vicky said in a low voice. Anna nodded.

"Could you give Mattie a message from me?" Vicky gave Jeremy a pleading look.

"Sure. What do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him I'm sorry; and that he always has been an extraordinary brother. I never told him, but he helped me very much when mum abandoned us repeatedly."

Jeremy looked sad at his first love and nodded slowly. "I will, Vicky. He knows everything now, you know? Right now, he doesn't want to have anything to do with it, but it makes it easier to tell him, because he will believe me."

"That's cool." Vicky seemed to be relieved. Then she added: "I'm really sorry for my last night; I didn't want to hurt you or your sister. I should have listened to Stefan. I do hope, that you'll get him back…he was awesome to me. And…tell Damon I'm not mad at him; for turning me out of boredom, you know? I watched him during the last days; he has changed a lot… Anyways, the time with him was funny. I'm cool with him, okay?"

"I'll tell him" Jeremy said earnestly. "And he knows now, that it was wrong, what he had done to you; he apologized for it." Vicky eyed him with genuine surprise. "Actually he apologized for both of you the night of founder's day." Jeremy addressed Anna now. "He saw you dying. He came to me that night to tell me about it. He said that he wanted to help you, but he couldn't."

"Vervain" Anna murmured.

"He was different that night…You're right, Vicky, he has changed a lot."

"He loves her", Anna stated.

Jeremy nodded again. "Yeah, I think everybody knows about that little secret…"

"Does he know that she loves him, too?" Vicky asked him curious.

"What? No, she…but she loves Stefan. She doesn't…I know that there is something between them, but…" He trailed off.

"I don't know what she feels for Stefan. But I know for sure that she loves Damon. Hey, Jer, we really have to go now. I loved you, you know that, right?" Anna gazed him deep in the eyes before she blurred toward the door.

"I was totally in love with you, too, Jer. I just was a stupid druggie…to stupid to see clearly…Bye, Jer" With that, Vicky followed Anna.

"Thank you for your help. And…I loved you both." Jeremy's voice was sad.

"You have her now. Bye Jeremy!"

And they left a bewildered looking Jeremy, sitting all alone in his girlfriend's kitchen, drinking juice without using a glass.

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><p>.<p>

Damon couldn't sleep. Too much had happened during the last days. Not to mention the last night, the longest night ever, since not even three hours had passed here, while inside it had felt like at least one day and one night. Particularly what had happened in there precluded him from getting some sleep.

The little chat with Ric earlier… he was not used to have a friend; yeah, Elena, but this one always had been different. Ric…they didn't need many words. And, what was even more – he trusted him. He would never have told someone else about the kiss. And surely no one else had dared to ask. But Ric…the trust was mutual. Ric was his friend. And he noted surprised that this thought felt good.

Lying in his bed alone didn't feel good at all, yet. It just felt…empty. Her scent was still lingering in the sheets from the two nights she had slept in his bed. He stroked over the pillow her head had been lying on with his fingertips. He contemplated briefly to sneak into Stefan's room and steal her back to his own room; then he snorted angrily about his pathetic thoughts. He couldn't be apart of her for a few hours without making stupid plans to regain her closeness. He was screwed up.

Despite his spinning mind he must have fallen asleep; he woke with a start. For a brief moment he didn't know what had woken him up, but he knew instantly that it could've been nothing good. He shot up of his bed and was already standing at his threshold when he heard it.

A scream.

A scream of Elena.

It came from outside the house. Shouting "Ric! Vervain darts! Outside!" he raced in vamp speed downstairs and through the front door that had been left ajar. With his enhanced senses he instantly grasped the situation; he saw Stefan at the edge of the wood, holding Elena and…feeding on her; her body slumped down in his arms, apparently unconscious or even…No. Not dead. No way.

He vamped out and blurred over to the trees. With full vampire speed he crashed into his brother's side, hauling Elena out of his arms. He pinned him against a tree, hand at Stefan's throat, pressing his windpipe shut.

"If she's dead I'll kill you" he growled. For a split second he saw regret in Stefan's eyes, but he didn't care; he was much too furious and too frightened of losing Elena for giving his brother any chance. Stefan's head and arms shot up against Damon's head at the same time, and he reeled back. He saw two vervain darts sticking in Stefan's shoulder; brave Alaric. Still having vervain in his system, it weakened his brother only a little; however, it affected his strength enough for giving up the fight. The second he found himself released, he blurred away.

Damon whirled around, rushed over to Elena and knelt down beside her; she was lying on the ground like she had fallen during the fight, she hadn't moved at all. With shaking hands he lifted her carefully on his lap and cradled her in his arms; he heard her heart beating, too slow and still getting slower. He remembered Stefan feeding on her; gingerly he brushed away her hair, exposing her neck, and he gasped; there weren't just bite marks. Saint Stefan had ripped his girlfriend's neck apart; one side of it, at least.

"Oh my God." Alaric whispered stunned. "How could he do that to her?" He crouched down, pulled his shirt out and pressed it against her neck, where the blood was still oozing out.

Damon was rocking her back and forth, not knowing what to do to save her.

"My blood should still be in her system, why doesn't it heal?" he asked desperately.

Alaric didn't think long about it. "It was in another world. Who knows, which rules are counting there…give her some more, she's dying. You have my support if she yells at you later…"

Damon gave him the slightest wry grin; then he bit in his wrist and held it gently to her lips.

"Elena, we've already done this today, but… please, drink it." She didn't move. Tears were falling freely now, but he didn't even notice. "Elena…drink it…please…" He heard her heartbeat weakening. "Ric…"

Ric watched his friend in his deepest desperation; he was losing her. For good. Ric bent down to Elena's head and whispered in her ear: "Elena, Damon needs you. He won't survive if you die. Drink it now." And all of a sudden, Elena's eyes popped open; she looked Damon straight in the eyes, and then she started to swallow his blood.

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><p>.<p>

Never before Damon had felt that relieved like he did when she finally drank his blood and he saw the horrible wound healing. He pulled her closer, holding her tighter than ever. For a few moments, he had been sure he'd lose her for good. For a long time he sat on the ground, Elena cradled in his arms, stroking her hair, thinking about the last time he had sat with her like that.

_I won't let you out of my sight anymore_. He had said that, barely three hours ago. He had failed her. By laying her in Stefan's bed he _had_ let her out of his sight. He'd had good reasons for it. He had thought it would help her to focus on Stefan. And himself too. _Ha, it had helped; they had focused on Stefan, hadn't they?_ He wouldn't take that risk any more, not until she finally was safe.

Where the hell was she safe? The boarding house was open for everyone again. Stefan had been everywhere; except…Bonnie's.

Bonnie would surely host Elena; but she would never allow him to enter her house. Okay, then he had to watch over the house from outside.

When Damon finally had the feeling Elena could be brought over, he scooped her up and laid her in the back seat of his car.

"Where do you bring her?" Alaric asked surprised.

"Bonnie's"

Ric nodded in understanding.

"Ric, you should come with me, too. You helped me with Stefan; we don't know if he's vengeful now…"

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll just go grabbing a shirt."

He came back merely a minute later, pulling the hem of his fresh shirt down.

"Let's go."

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><p>.<p>

When they arrived at Bonnie's house, Damon was sure she wouldn't even open the door, because she surely would be fast asleep. He was mistaken. After his first ginger knock on her door, it took only a few seconds until Bonnie opened the door. One look at Elena scooped up in his arms, one in his pale and unusual unmasked face sufficed. "Stefan was there." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes. I fed her my blood again, so she will be okay; physically. But the boarding house isn't safe anymore since Elena died. Your house is the only one…"

"She can stay here, of course" She peeked over Damon's shoulder and saw Alaric standing at the back. "And you can crash on the couch, if you want to," Bonnie stated firmly. Ric nodded, looking a little abashed; he felt awkward imposing himself on her; she was one of his students, after all.

Damon hesitated. "Bonnie, I know you don't trust me, and you have every right for it, but…"

She interrupted him with a raising hand, examining him intently. "Will you ever take advantage of being invited in?"

"No."

"Can I trust you?"

"Yes."

She pinned him with her gaze; and then she stepped aside.

"Come on in, Damon."

Damon stared at her completely baffled; he never had thought that she'd invite him in; as far as he knew, not even Caroline had been in here since she was a vampire. He didn't quite understand why she had done it, but he was extremely grateful.

She led him to a guest room, where he carefully laid Elena down on the bed.

"Bonnie…I'll stay with her, I can't…"

"Go ahead, Damon. We'll talk tomorrow. Can I offer you something, a coffee maybe?"

"I assume you don't have any booze?" he asked, grinning wryly.

She rolled her eyes. "No, Damon, I don't. Coffee?"

"No, thanks Bonnie" he smiled at her.

She nodded, smiling back. "Good night, Damon"

"Good night."

One minute later he lay on the bed beside Elena, watching over her sound sleep.

This time, he wouldn't fail her again.

He wouldn't let her out of his sight anymore.

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><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay, so maybe Bonnie's a little OOC here. But I really think she trusts Damon meanwhile...And I just like her more like that :-)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore…

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to MusicChick11711; she enticed me to kick a certain someone in the a** while I wrote it…

Thank you so much for all your awesome reviews and for the amount of alerts and favs!

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><p>.<p>

**Chapter 12**

_Could you hold me tighter  
>When worlds collide<br>Just hold me down right now_

_.  
><em>All You Wanted by Sounds Under Radio

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><p>.<p>

She woke up from the tickling of sunrays at her nose. She blinked and shifted her head slightly in an attempt to prevent the sun from blinding her. Her gaze fell straight to Damon's face right in front of her, only inches away, still sleeping.

Elena had no idea how she came here and why she was lying in bed with Damon; again. She had instantly recognized the room as Bonnie's guest room; she had been over too often for not knowing where she was. Bonnie's? Why was that? She added this to the list of things she didn't understand.

Then she noticed, that for once she wasn't sleeping on his chest; her gaze drifted down to her hand lying between them; Damon's hand lay protectively over hers, and she couldn't help but feeling touched by that picture. She eyed his face; while sleeping it looked absolutely peaceful, and so … unbelievably young. And so vulnerable. She found herself, not for the first time, wishing to protect him from getting hurt; yet, lately it had always been her who'd hurt him. She lifted her head and inched it cautiously toward him, careful not to wake him up. When she was certain that he was still sleeping, she placed a feathery kiss on his cheek. The ghost of a smile flew over his face.

"What was that for?"

_Damn! Did he ever really sleep?_ "I had that feeling that you deserved it…even if I don't know why…"

His eyes popped open. He studied her face, looking for a hint of fear, desperation, anger…any emotion that told him that she knew what had happened. He didn't find anything.

"You don't remember?" he asked cautiously; if she didn't, he couldn't accord her the mercy of oblivion anyway, but at least he could wait with telling the truth until she'd have her coffee…

She gazed at him questioningly; suddenly she stiffened and her eyes went wide.

"Stefan…" she whispered; her hand flew to her neck where he had done his destructible work. The flesh had healed, although she felt the memory of a stinging pain. She fell on her back, staring at the ceiling; her heart started racing when all the events from last night rushed back to her mind. How could he have done that to her? To her, of all people? Tears welled up in her eyes, and she didn't even think about preventing them from falling.

"Damon…" her whisper was scarcely discernible, but even the tiniest rest of voice sounded devastated.

Damon had watched her emotional breakdown, and he felt sheer fury. If his brother had been here right now, he would have killed him with delight. When he heard her whispering his name, he instantly dismissed the effort to restrain and pulled her in a tight embrace again, giving her all he could give, painfully aware of the fact that it wouldn't be enough to heal her wounds. And it killed him inside.

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><p>.<p>

After having breakfast, they settled in Bonnie's living room. While Bonnie and Jeremy hadn't asked about last night, it seemed as if it was unavoidable to talk about it now. So Damon and Alaric filled them in; Jeremy cringed when he heard about Stefan's behavior and the horrible wound, but Bonnie's eyes hardened. Elena didn't say a word; curled up on the couch, arms tightly wrapped around her knees, her eyes latched onto the floor, she kept her part of the story for herself for now. She seemed to be mentally absent; as if they were talking about nothing of her concern, like the last baseball match that she wasn't interested in. Damon watched her silently, secretly waiting for another breakdown. Suddenly Elena lifted her eyes to lock them with his gaze, and he found her expression changed; instead of desperation what he had expected, he discovered determination. Yet, the scared little girl was still inside of her, well covered with a strong will to be fearless; to uphold the feeling to be strong enough for everything waiting for her, she needed support; she clutched his hand and gave him a grateful look for not withdrawing; and right now, she didn't care if it was selfish. She straightened.

"So what are we doing next? We're running out of time."

Jeremy, who had been busy furtively eying the wordless conversation between his sister and her boyfriend-on-a-killing-spree's brother, his ex-girlfriends-spirits statements still vivid in his mind, stared at her baffled. "You mean…you still want to save him?" he asked incredulously.

"What do you mean, Jer? Of course I want to. More than ever."

Bonnie furrowed her brows. "After everything he has done to you, you still want to have him back?"

"It's not about wanting him back or not." Elena sighed. "It's about saving him from this person he became lately. He never wanted to be this person; it's what he always was fighting against. He's still in there, Bonnie. I've seen him."

Bonnie stared at her, weighing her options. Then she addressed the vampire. She could see the anger he was feeling toward his brother; yet, she needed to know what he thought about saving Stefan. "Damon?"

His eyes closed for a moment, then opened again, locking with the witch's eyes, shaking his head lightly. "He's my little brother, Bonnie."

Bonnie pondered for a moment, and then she announced: "I might know of a way to find him now."

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><p>.<p>

She had told them that it was dangerous; but, of course, Elena was determined to do it.

Caroline and Tyler had come over, so they were complete again; Bonnie had explained them, that the fact that Stefan had attacked his girlfriend at least could be helpful to use a certain spell.

"By attacking you he became a personal threat to life for you; this put up a kind of bond between you two; I think a witch had developed this spell once to chase someone who had harmed somebody she loved…; however, this bond has been strengthened by drinking your blood against your will. It might be stronger than any blocking spell Klaus could have had a witch cast. So maybe you are able to enter his mind now. But I need to warn you; it's fairly dangerous; the state of mind Stefan currently is in, you might get lost."

Before Elena could say anything, Damon chimed in. "No way!"

"What else could we do?" Elena objected. "We tried everything we could think about. Nothing helped to find him, remember? I told you, we have to find him soon; it's the only way, Damon."

"No. I won't let you do this. I almost lost…no." He glared at Bonnie, his eyes flashing dangerously; how could she suggest something like that at all?

In an attempt to conciliate him Bonnie said: "I won't let her do it without company."

He lifted his head a little. "So I could go with her?" He knew her stubbornness well enough to know that he probably couldn't restrain her from doing this; that way he could at least keep an eye on her. But Bonnie shattered his hope with her next words.

"No, Damon, I need you out here; in case something goes wrong I'll need you here to bring her back." She spoke softly; she knew he didn't like what he heard.

He winced. "Let someone else do that part; I have to…"

She cut him off. "No, I'm certain that you're the best option for that job" she said quietly; and he understood. His love for her would bring her back. He fell silent; he _so_ grew tired of fearing for Elena. What ever it was, as long as it had printed DANGER on it, Elena jumped in. And he sat aside, waiting for his cue to rescue her, pathetically shedding tears of fear like a girl.

Eventually he lifted his head and demanded: "So who…"

"Caroline, if she feels up to it."

Caroline's head jerked toward Bonnie, and so did Tyler's. He didn't like the thought at all, but Caroline beamed. "Of course I do! I'm glad to help finding Stefan." Elena tossed her a grateful glance. "He was such a friend to me in the beginning after turning" Caroline addressed Tyler who looked unhappy about the turn of events and gave him a pleading smile. He nodded; Stefan had tried to be a friend to him too, after all.

Damon sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. Bonnie had picked out Blondie of all people. Granted, she had changed since she had turned. She wasn't the squeamish little girlie anymore; she even had saved his live, not caring that she exposed herself to her mother in the course of that mission. Also, for a newbie, she was really strong; although that skill wouldn't be helpful in Stefan's mind. But she knew Stefan well and what was even more, she really liked him; and he liked her. That could be helpful. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to let Caroline accompany Elena.

He straightened. "Before anyone decides anything, I need to talk to Elena. Alone" he stated.

Elena had anxiously observed his features; she didn't want to do this against Damon's will, she needed him to be on her side; and now she found herself relieved that he hadn't dismissed it; not yet at least.

He caught her gaze, and when she nodded he grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the couch. "Come on, put your shoes on."

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* * *

><p>.<p>

They walked side by side for about 5 minutes without saying a word. Damon led her to a small park close to the town's center; it was as safe as it could be outside of Bonnie's, since there always were a few people in, but they could easily stay out of earshot.

When they arrived, he tossed Elena a side glance. "What happened last night?" he asked sympathetically.

She closed her eyes briefly and turned her head away from him. "I don't want to talk about it"

"I know. But if you want me to allow this I need to know what happened."

She glared at him. "To allow me? You're not in the position to allow or not allow me anything! You're not my legal guardian. No one is."

"No, I'm not. But if I don't agree to that entering-the-mind-of-a-psychotic-ripper-who-tried-to-rip-you-apart-thing, you and I both know that I won't let you do it."

"And what would you do then? Tie me up in the basement?" She snarled, tossing him a furious gaze.

"Oh, you know I would." He started to get angry, too. "You know, I'm tired of watching you throwing yourself in every danger you can find."

"You think I'm doing that for having my own weird kind of fun?" she hissed.

"I don't know, Elena. Because I have barely seen you without the tendency to jump in where ever you can get yourself killed." They stood face to face, glaring in each other's eyes. And all of a sudden, Elena took his face in her hands, pulled him down and kissed him.

Damon blinked; he was caught off guard; for a moment he just let it happen. A tingling feeling rushed through his veins, reaching every nerve inside, and his stomach fluttered; then all his worry and anger and fear melted to one feeling: love. He curled one arm around her waist, the other one around her shoulder; his hand slipping at the back of her head, tangling in her hair, he pulled her as close as possible without crawling inside of her. Her lips parted to let him in, and he accepted the invitation joyfully. He was hyper aware of every inch of his skin that was connected to Elena. He lifted both hands to cup her face, and the kiss deepened; his tongue caressed hers while her hands were sliding down his back and up to his head, running through his dark hair, pulling him closer, melting into him. His lips moved away from hers, over her cheek, trailing along her jaw line down to her neck, caressing her silky smooth skin; when he reached her erratically beating jugular vein, he felt his fangs protruding. He paused and breathed deeply to force them back; then he lifted his head, his lips crushing down on hers again. While the kiss was getting more careful, their arms wrapped around their backs; and then their lips simultaneously parted from each other; the kiss ended up in the tightest embrace. Both breathing heavily, hearts beating frantically, they didn't dare to look into each other's eyes, not willing to break the magic of the moment.

After a long while, Damon pulled away reluctantly, but only as far as was necessary to gaze at her with wide eyes which were filled with so much love, that Elena began shaking, completely overwhelmed.

"Elena, we shouldn't…"

He was cut off by warm fingers gently laid over his lips.

"Don't. We both needed this." She looked him deep in the eyes, hers equally filled with emotion, mirroring his own gaze. And suddenly he was sure, that her eyes were holding a promise that she doesn't dare to speak out loud. He took another deep, still shaky breath, nodded once, leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. When eventually both pulled away, Elena said: "Now I'm going to tell you everything about last night."

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><p>.<p>

He led her to a bench standing in the shadow of an old oak tree where they sat down. They didn't touch each other in silent agreement. It wasn't as if a door had been locked by loosening the embrace; actually, for the first time it felt as if it had been pushed wide open; only they couldn't get through yet because there were some obstacles in their way they had to overcome. And both were afraid that touching might heighten those barriers.

So they didn't touch.

Elena told him all of it. She didn't hesitate; her breakdown was done. She could feel him tensing beside her when she told him that Stefan had smelled his brother all over her, and that he knew that she had drunken his blood.

When she told him that she had seen his humanity shine through, he was highly interested; he remembered that he had seen it, too. They had a chance; they just had to get him.

When she was done telling, their gazes met. Eventually he nodded.

"Do it. But I need you to be careful. Don't you dare doing something stupid…"

She grinned. "If I know it is something stupid, I won't do it…

"Not funny. Maybe you can keep it in this stubborn mind of yours, that if something happens to you, _I_ will do something stupid for sure." He tossed her a flashing glance, the menace of his words extending to his eyes. At that she glared back, but her eyes softened after a few seconds. She knew it was not meant as a threat; it was simply the truth. And it couldn't do any harm to keep this in her mind. Necks were snapping easily around here…

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><p>.<p>

Everything was prepared. Bonnie had taken some blood from Elena and Caroline and filled into two small vials; candles were burning, and the girls were holding hands for making sure that they stayed together.

They had been instructed by the witch.

"Don't talk; he could hear it. Caroline, I mean it."

"What?" she snapped. "I _can_ be quiet…"

"Don't lose your touch; it helps you to stay together and to come back eventually. You will see each other, so you can communicate visually. You will also see what Stefan sees. Try to stay unnoticed." Bonnie paused to concentrate; she didn't want to forget something important. "Caroline won't have any problem to come back; she isn't bonded to Stefan. You are, Elena. If he discovers you, he might not want to let you go, but if you're too long in his mind, the bond between your body and your own mind might be cut…"

Damon shifted uncomfortably, but said noting.

"If he tries to keep you in his mind, Caroline can help to bring you back, but she possibly won't be able to do it on her own. We will support her then." She threw a glance to Damon; this would be his cue. He stared back, and then nodded once slightly.

"Just try to find out where they are. Don't do anything stupid."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Why keeps everyone telling me not to do anything stupid?" she huffed. Bonnie gave her a pointed look and Damon snorted. When she caught his eyes, she shook her head, looking sincerely now_. If something happens to you, I will do something stupid for sure…_No, she would not risk it.

"Are you both up to it? You know, it _is_ dangerous. Cold feet anyone?" Bonnie demanded. Elena and Caroline exchanged a look, and then they announced in unison: "Let's do it."

Bonnie nodded and grabbed a small bowl from the table. She poured water and the content of the vials in it and added some crumbled herbs. She rotated the bowl with her hands in order to mix the ingredients and placed it on the floor next to the couch her friends were sitting on. Then she began to chant.

Elena was eerily reminded at the last time she had been waiting for the beginning of a weird trip, hand in hand with a vampire; and for a moment she wished badly that it was Damon's hand she was holding. She glanced at him and their gazes met; she could tell that he would have liked to stop her from doing that; still, he didn't move nor say a word.

Elena closed her eyes and focused on Stefan as Bonnie had told them earlier. She felt Caroline's hand in hers, and she was glad to have at least her friend by her side. Slowly it became dark around them; somehow she could see it, although her eyes were still shut. After a while the darkness lifted and she saw Caroline beside her. She turned her head to look around; in one direction, right in front of them, they could see the windshield and the steering wheel of a car which obviously was running on a street. Elena had the strange feeling to look through a weird kind of a picture window; and then it dawned to her; they were looking through Stefan's eyes. The car they saw was the car he was currently sitting in.

The view changed briefly when he apparently turned his head, and they clapped eyes on Klaus, sitting next to Stefan, saying something they couldn't hear, an amused grin curling his lips. Then Stefan turned back, paying attention to the street again. His gaze drifted down for a moment, eyeing the dashboard, and Elena's heart skipped a beat when she caught a glimpse of his hand holding the steering wheel; this hand had been so gentle to her for months and so brutal last night. She felt a light squeeze on her own hand, and she glanced gratefully at Caroline.

She turned back to look through the windshield to catch any clue of where they were driving, but she didn't recognize the landscape. They were approaching a town; but the moment they came closer to the sign announcing the name of it, Stefan turned to the backseat to grab something. When he turned back, they had already passed the sign.

After a while Caroline laid her hand on Elena's arm, and when their eyes met, she signaled excited, that she knew where they were. At that Elena tried harder than before to memorize where the car was going. This was their only chance to find him.

A few minutes later the car pulled over and came to a halt in front of an ancient looking house. Both vampires got off the car and strode over to the front door; Klaus opened it and went inside. Stefan paused briefly, turned his head to the car and glanced at the trunk; as if he had changed his mind, he then turned back to the house and followed Klaus.

Elena felt Caroline tugging at her hand; she had seen enough and wanted to leave. Elena knew that she was right, but she had the creepy feeling that there was something off; and she wanted to know what it was. She shook her head and pointed to the hallway Stefan was pacing through. Caroline thought about it for a second, then she shrugged and stayed.

Stefan had reached a door at the end of the hallway and opened it. A stairway led to the basement and he went downstairs. It was illuminated only by a single weakly shining bulb. He reached another door that was closed with a latch; Elena and Caroline exchanged a curious look. Stefan unlocked the latch and entered the room behind the door; at first they couldn't see anything in the complete darkness. Then he switched a light on.

Elena's stomach churned instantly and her eyes went wide. In a flash Caroline laid her hand over Elena's mouth to prevent her from making any noise.

In the small room lay at least 15 bodies of dead girls piled up along the opposite wall. They hadn't only been drained dry, they were broken apart; throats ripped up, torn limb from limb…Elena didn't want to see it, but she couldn't avert her gaze. Luckily Stefan turned and went upstairs again, leaving the light on and the door ajar. He entered what seemed to be the living room. Curled up on a couch sat an obviously frightened girl with bite marks all over; with her slender figure, long dark hair and brown doe eyes, she looked a lot like Elena. And this time Caroline's hand shot out too late; the gasp escaped Elena's mouth.

Stefan froze. Clearly he had heard her. Caroline started to leave, tugging Elena along, but it was too late. He had closed his eyes and focused on his mind, and he had discovered them. He knew instantly that it was Elena with someone else he didn't recognize. Within a split second he felt wrath rising up in his throat. Beyond angry at the girl who had entered his mind to spy on him, he kept hold of her.

This warranted punishment…


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore…

A/N: I have to put the story on hiatus for one week; Monday morning I'll go on a school trip with my class, and sadly the youth hostel is internet nirvana (how will I survive one week without this site…?); I wouldn't have the time to write anyways…

Don't hesitate to drop a review though; it still will be there to read when I'll be back…

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter<strong>**13**

_ Give me something I can believe_

_ Don't tear me down_

_ You've opened the door now, don't let it close_

_.  
><em>

All I Need by Within Temptation

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><p>.<p>

Wrath.

The emotion was overwhelming.

And Elena didn't know why she felt it; she had no reason to be angry, so why was she? The thought leapt into her mind that it wasn't her wrath she was feeling; it was Stefan's since she was staying in his mind. And his emotion was strong enough to let her feel it too. And it was directed at her. A shiver ran down her spine.

Elena fought to free herself, but Stefan restrained her. It had been a mistake to follow him into the house. This was the stupid thing they had warned her not to do, she had _promised_ not to do… _If__ something__ happens__ to __you,__ I __will__ do__ something __stupid __for__ sure__…_ She had failed. He wouldn't let go of her anymore, eventually break her now. She turned toward Caroline and tried to release her hand in order to let her go back at least; however, Caroline clasped Elena's hand with an unbreakable grip.

"No way. I won't leave you. They'll know that we need them. They will help us" she enunciated, giving her a convincing smile. They were discovered anyway, so they could talk again, right? "And let me get one thing straight. I will not be the one to tell him, that you're lost. Who knows what he thinks about killing the messenger…" Elena gazed at her ruefully and nodded once. Both tried again to escape, but it seemed to be futile; Stefan's hold grew only tighter. He wouldn't let go of her.

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><p>.<p>

Jeremy couldn't believe it. Only one night ago he had been in exact the same situation as now: observing his sister, hand in hand with a vampire, their minds somewhere else than their bodies. Only that this time they were sitting on a couch, heads leaning against its back, instead of lying on the floor in the middle of a pentagram. And that he could walk around, as well as Tyler, Ric and Damon. Well, they could if they wanted to; though nobody wanted. They all watched the girls with equal concerned looks to be sure that nothing had gone wrong so far.

He threw a furtive glance at Damon. He was clearly nervous, though he tried to hide it. He rose from the armchair he'd been settled on, paced around casually, picking here a thing up and put it back, running there his hand over the edge of a sideboard; then he stopped behind the couch the girls were sitting on, tentatively laying a hand on Elena's shoulder.

Jeremy thought about what Anna and Vicky had said last night. They seemed to be convinced, that Elena loved Damon; were they right? There was something going on between the both of them; for months now. He was certain that Damon was in love with his sister. That was not really a secret anymore, and after their trip to the intermediate world it had been visible for all of them when they came back. But Elena loved Stefan, didn't she? Jeremy thought about their arrival back in their own world. And then reality hit him. It had been visible for all of them. Yes. And it had been also visible that it was no longer one sided. When did that happen? And why hadn't he seen that? And he had thought that he had problems…

His spinning mind was distracted by Damon, now looking worried.

"Bonnie, there's something wrong... "

Bonnie tilted her head briefly and laid her hands over her friends' linked hands, focused on her witch sense and nodded. "You're right. Damon, I need you to help her now. Take her hand and focus on her. Try to tear her out."

In a flash he sat by Elena's side, holding her hand, sneaking his other arm around her shoulders, focusing with all his senses on her.

After a moment he looked up, concern in his eyes. "I can't reach her…"

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><p>.<p>

"Didn't your mother teach you not to enter someone's mind without permission? One of your mothers, at least?" Stefan suddenly sneered at her. Elena, stunned to hear his voice anyways, froze when she realized what he had said. She couldn't believe it. He was mocking her. He knew very well how much it pained her, that Miranda, the woman she had known her whole life as her mother, as well as Isobel, her birth mother, were dead. That he was mocking her with this sensitive subject hurt her almost more than the physical attack the night before. But the pain turned into anger.

"Do you hear yourself, Stefan? You have become a complete ass lately! Why the hell don't you fight this?"

He laughed, and like the night before this creepy laughter sent shivers of trepidation down her spine. At the same time she suddenly felt a barely discernible pull; this was neither Caroline nor Stefan. Damon! With absolute certainty she knew it was Damon. She focused on that pull and felt it increasing a little. _Stall,__ Elena_… She changed the tactic. With a pleading voice she addressed Stefan once again, inwardly still focusing on the pull coming from his brother.

"Where are you, Stefan? We are looking for you everywhere. We want to help you…" Again he laughed.

"Help me with what, Elena? Tearing girls like you apart? Not your thing, is it? " he scoffed.

The pull got stronger, and simultaneously Caroline strengthened, too.

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><p>.<p>

Bonnie acted quickly. "Tyler, come here and take Caroline's hand; focus on her to support her with your strength. Jeremy, take Elena's hand and focus on her. Damon…I think you know what to do."

Tyler and Jeremy rushed over and did as Bonnie had told them, both glad that for once they could help.

Damon wrapped his arms around Elena, all his senses aimed at pulling Elena back. He lowered his head, bringing his mouth to her ear. "Elena, come out there. I know you can do that." And in his mind he discerned a reaction from her. He had reached her. He increased his efforts to stay with her and pull her back, and he could hear her now; she was talking to Stefan.

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><p>.<p>

Somehow Stefan noticed that there was something going on that he didn't like. Vaguely he sensed the presence of someone else, someone beside Elena and the second person he still couldn't identify. He tightened his hold on her.

Added to the still increasing pull Elena heard Damon's voice from far away. "Elena, come out there. I know you can do that." She strengthened with his words, and she started to fight anew.

Elena's fighting to break free remembered Stefan at his wish to punish her. And he knew this girl well enough to know what would hurt her the most.

"Do you see what I see, Elena?" he asked in a low, seductive voice. "Let's see how much fun we can have together…" He approached the scared girl on the couch and gaped at her. Briefly forgetting about the visitors in his mind, the familiar feeling of hunger set in; he grasped her upper arms and hauled her up from the couch, yanked her head aside to give him access to her exposed neck. Elena gasped

Before his fangs could sink into her flesh, Caroline chimed in. "Stefan."

Only an eerie silence answered her, but it stopped Stefan in his tracks; then his bewildered sounding voice asked: "Who is it?"

"Oh, come on you stupid idiot. You know who I am."

Hesitating Stefan suggested: "Caroline?" It was the most human voice Elena had heard from Stefan since he had left her at the Gone-with-the-Wind-festival. She felt a pang in her heart when she thought about that Stefan; she gave Caroline a reassuring look, and Caroline went on.

"Yeah, of course it's me. Did you think I could leave you alone? Of course I'm looking for my friend, too. Tell me, Stefan, why don't you do yourself what you taught me to do? Let her go! Why don't you fight it?"

"Because I have the time of my life here." His voice had changed again, but it wasn't as convincing as before.

"Ripping all those girls apart is having the time of your life? Seriously? This isn't the Stefan who is my friend. Tearing Elena's neck apart? That's not you, Stefan." She huffed.

"Oh, that's exactly what I am, Caroline. I finally have embraced my true nature. You should try that too, it's fun…" he growled, but he still didn't feed, and Elena could sound out a hint of insecurity that hadn't been there before.

"Oh come on, Stefan! You don't think that anyone of your friends believe you, do you? _He_ did this to you. You didn't act of your own volition. We all know you better than that, and that's why we're looking for you" she stated firmly. "And I need you to start fighting this until we find you."

Stefan let go of the girl, and his hold on Elena loosened a little, and at the same time she heard Damon's voice urging. "Elena, come here. You know what I told you…come out…" and then, barely audible, so that she wasn't even sure if she really had heard it: "You know why…"

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><p>.<p>

Holding her tight, Damon urged: "Elena, come here. You know what I told you…come out…" And, only in his mind, he added: "You know why…"

He didn't know that she could hear it, and right now he didn't care anyways. But these words gave Elena the final strength to escape a distracted Stefan.

Damon sensed her coming back before her eyes popped open; he tightened his embrace for a short moment, relief washing through his veins; then he released a lightly bemused looking Elena. Their gazes met, eyes locking for a few seconds. And then both pulled away. She was back. That was the most important thing.

After embracing his sister, Jeremy gave her a light slap on her shoulder. "What stupidity have you committed this time, Sis?"

Elena flushed. Caroline, good friend as she was, spared her the answer and blurted out: "I know, where they are."

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><p>.<p>

The girls had told the others what had happened. Particularly the little chat Caroline had had with Stefan had drawn their interest. Now they wanted to know where they could find the vampires they were searching for days now.

"My Dad's boyfriend's ex-wife lives there. I've been there a few times to celebrate her daughter's birthday, who's a real brat, by the way; can you imagine what she…"

"Blondie, you can get your PJ's and prepare everything for a slumber party to have a little chit-chat as soon as you've told us where to find Stefan." Damon rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Oh, yeah. It's in a burb of Lynchburg. I can show you the way to where I recognized the area. I do hope that I'll find the house they stay in…" she trailed of, sounding a little insecure in the end.

"I'll find it from there" Elena assured. She sat on the couch, head leaning against Jeremy's shoulder, a mug of steaming coffee in her hand. For once, she felt fairly comfortable. They had succeeded, and what was even more, Caroline had reached Stefan, had lured out his humanity. Just a bit, but enough to show him that it was still in there. Elena had been surprised when Caroline spoke to Stefan, and she was amazed about how much her words had affected him. And now she found herself wishing to prove him that he was wrong. She wanted so badly bring out the former, the good Stefan, and she was eager to do it as soon as possible.

"So when do we go get him?" She addressed no one in particular. She was looking as if she was half on the way to put her shoes on and jump in the car. She glanced around before her gaze latched on Damon.

"Slow down, honey, we'll need a little time" he huffed.

"What? Why?"

"What's the plan? You wanna go there, ring the bell and tell Klaus that you want your boyfriend back? Pretty please?"

"No, but…"

"So if you don't have any better idea we'll need a little more time to figure out how to get him back without committing suicide in the course of the rescue saint Stefan mission" he snarled.

"Don't you get it? We are losing him. Yes, Caroline has reached him earlier, but who knows what he has done to the girl right after we escaped him…"

"I do" he cut her off and pinned her with a furious gaze. "He was upset. The girl was there. Now she probably is still there, only a level lower than before."

Elena was taken aback. Why the hell was _he_ upset? "Damon…"

He turned toward the front door and snatched his leather jacket. "I'm going to get some blood bags. I'm hungry, and I assume Judgy's blood bag stock isn't that big…"He blurred out, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving a baffled Elena.

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* * *

><p>.<p>

Damned!

Damned Elena.

Damned Stefan.

Crap!

Damon slammed his fist against the steering wheel.

He thought about the last time he had sat in his car, Elena on the back seat. Last night. It had been just last night! So much had happened since then…

She had kissed him. Only a few hours ago. And this time she hadn't been confused at all. After this kiss…he had been so sure about what he had seen in her eyes. He wanted to believe it. And if it was true, she would not be happy anymore with his brother. If it was true, he was ready to deal with his guilt now.

And then…then she had been in Stefan's mind. She had seen some of the horrible things he had done. He had deliberately hurt her. Oh, he knew her well. He had picked out two issues he knew exactly making her pain. And it _had_ hurt her.

Yet, everything seemed to be forgotten the moment Caroline had torn out a tiny part of his humanity. All excited, Elena wanted nothing more than rushing to Lynchburg, snatching her boyfriend and bringing him back to his broody, bunny-eating saint Stefan attitude; and having her happily ever after. What he had seen in her eyes earlier… he seemingly had been wrong. And he would end up at the back again.

He couldn't stand at the back anymore, watching them together.

But he couldn't leave her either. Not as long as she was in danger; meaning not as long as Stefan was a threat to her; and not as long as Klaus, the eternal threat, still existed.

They had to focus on how to defeat Klaus now. Bonnie had to find out what to do with The Seven.

He sighed deeply.

He was really growing tired…

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* * *

><p>.<p>

_And I need you to start fighting this until we find you._

Stefan could still hear these words in his mind. Caroline had said them before the spying girls had escaped him.

Caroline. He hadn't thought about her since he was with Klaus. To be honest, he hadn't thought at all. Not since Klaus had woken the predator inside. He only had dealt with confusing emotions.

After the very first real hunts since decades, the picture of Elena had been vivid in his mind; and from hunt to hunt it had become more accusing.

He knew he had to play along with him; when he had read Elena's text, he was glad about Damon's rescue; but it had implied that he had to hold up his end of the bargain with Klaus. So he could at least enjoy it. In the beginning it had made him feel guilty that he enjoyed hunting down the girls Klaus presented him. He had tried to hide it, but he never had been good in keeping secrets. So Klaus had pushed him further; had made him hunt girls one by one. And Stefan had been insatiable; he never could reject. And he had begun to savor it. And the feeling of guilt overcoming him each time he'd pictured Elena had turned into anger. It had been her fault that he couldn't relish the thrill off ecstasy to the full. And Klaus had talked him into believing that this was the life he was supposed to live and that it always had been Elena's fault that he had to relinquish it. Still, the feeling of guilt never had left him completely, and he had begun to hate it. It had become simply an obstacle on his way to pure ecstasy. And so had done Elena.

Slowly the thought had occurred to his mind, that if he'd kill Elena, he'd destroy the guilt inside, too.

For normal vampires, this process would have taken weeks; yet, Stefan was a human blood addict. So it had taken him only two days and two and a half nights to find himself at the boarding house.

It hadn't made it easier that a part of him still loved her. He had gone home to find a resolution for his confusion. And he had found Elena.

When she had been afraid of him, he had been hurt. Disgusted about himself he had shoved this sign of weakness aside.

When she had accused him to do horrible things, he had felt the same pain as always when he had thought about his past. At that he had pushed the button. No emotions required.

His brother's smell all over her, of his blood inside of her, with the button pushed, it had nothing more than annoyed him. But she had flushed. That had done something to him. It had woken his blood lust. And it had made him remember at the will to eliminate the obstacle. Both had gone well together.

And then his brother had come to the rescue, along with Ric. He didn't want to kill Damon; there was no reason for it. The vervain darts had weakened him, so he had backed off.

When he had discovered Elena invading his mind earlier, he had felt nothing but wrath and the need to break her.

And then Caroline had been there. She hadn't accused him. She just had doubted his decisions to be his own. What she had said had remembered him at good feelings apart from hunting and preying.

Friendship.

She was his friend.

And she had planted doubt seeds in his mind.

And she needed him to start fighting this…

He breathed in deeply; then he looked the shaking girl deep in the eyes. "You will drink my blood, and then you will leave. You won't remember where you have been for the last night…"

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* * *

><p>.<p>

When the door slammed shut, six pairs of eyes looked at it with bemusement.

"Oh, someone got up on the wrong side, huh?" Tyler muttered.

"Shut up, Tyler" Bonnie cut him short; she had an inkling what it was that made Damon angry; and surprisingly she felt sorry for him. "We need to do something helpful. You can help me to go through my grimmoires. We still have no clue what to do with The Seven." She grabbed one of the ancient books and began to read; Jeremy and Alaric obeyed her suggestion, grabbing a grimmoire each one; Tyler and Caroline took one together.

Elena said nothing. She had a strong hunch that Damon's anger had something to do with what they had told them about Stefan; only she didn't know why. Damon was supposed to be glad that his brother had shown again that he still was inside his body, that he wasn't lost forever. He never really had doubted that, but she had. After what had happened last night…she had seen his humanity flashing through the cover, but it had been mere seconds. Caroline had cracked a gap in his shell. She didn't understand why Caroline had managed to do this while she had failed; Caroline wasn't his girlfriend, only a friend…maybe that was where the reason could be found. Whatever it was, Elena was eager to bring him back, to keep him away from human blood, to bring out his good side. The faster the better…

There it was. Realization hit her like a slap in the face.

He wanted his brother back, she didn't doubt it.

But he didn't want _her_ to want his brother back so badly…

Elena cringed.

She had kissed him. Only a few hours ago. And this kiss was different from the one before; she could not make herself believe that she simply got caught up in the moment. It had been a decision; not one of the elaborated kind, but well…. And she didn't regret it. She was aware that she had pushed a door open; but she couldn't go through…not yet. She was not even sure if she would be able to do it anytime; but to figure that out, she needed Stefan to be here. If she was honest to herself, for once, this was a big part of why she wanted him to be here so badly; she needed to make a decision. Soon.

And deep down she knew that the decision-making was already done.

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><p>.<p>

For almost two hours they were reading through the large ancient books. Damon hadn't come back yet, and meanwhile Elena was fairly concerned. She shared a book with Jeremy, and he could tell that she was nervous.

"Why don't you call him?" he suggested quietly. She only shook her head. She didn't want to stalk him; he probably had a good reason for not coming neither calling.

It was then when two things happened at the same time.

Alaric announced: "I might have found something about the stones…"

And on the other side of the living room, Elena's cell phone went off; her head jerked round and she leapt over to the coffee table where it was lying. "Damon!"

"Elena" he mocked.

"Where are you?"

"Miss me already?" She could practically hear the smirk on his face; she hadn't seen it for days now. Was it a good or a bad sign that it had reappeared after his sudden leaving earlier?

"Seriously, Damon, where are you?"

"Boarding house. Elena, you should come over."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"I've got an early birthday present for you… when is it, by the way?"

"Damon…"

"Oh come on, trust me; just come over. I gotta show you something. And bring Ric and his vervain supply…"

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><p>.<p>

A/N: Any idea what he wants to show her? Put it on alert, so you won't miss it...

Don't forget to review :-)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore**...**

A/N: Back from school trip, and I survived it!

Don't forget to review...**  
><strong>

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

_ Come__ back __when__ you__ can_

_ Let go, you'll understand_

_ You've done nothing at all to make me love you less_

_.  
><em>

Come Back When You Can by Barcelona

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><p>.<p>

When Elena entered the boarding house with Ric, she knew instantly that something was different, but she couldn't put her finger on it. There was tension lingering in the air that usually wasn't. Elena's heartbeat increased a little.

They strode over to the parlor, guessing to find Damon there, and they were right. He stood in front of the fireplace, the fire crackling as if he had never been away, a tumbler with bourbon in his hand, staring into the fire without moving.

Elena and Ric stopped dead in their tracks when they clapped eye on him. There was something odd about him. Elena hesitantly approached him, worry flying over her features. "Damon? What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

He downed the content of his tumbler in one gulp and put it on the mantelpiece. Then he turned slowly to face them; at the sight of his stony-faced look Elena's concern increased, and she could feel Alaric beside her tensing, too. At first she thought that he was drunk, but she realized quickly that he wasn't.

Then she saw his eyes. The unfathomable expression on his features didn't extend so far; his eyes were filled with emotions he couldn't hide. And the one covering all was undoubtedly fear. She almost reeled back by the intensity of this feeling, but caught the movement in time; instead she stepped tentatively toward him until she stood right in front of him. She could have touched him now, but she didn't dare; she had the strange feeling, that if she did, something _he?__ she?_ would shatter. Their eyes inseparably locked, she tried it again, her voice this time filled with warmth. "Damon, tell me."

He stared down at her, then began to scan her face with his gaze as if to memorize for eternity, caressing her with his eyes. His hands rose from their position beside his hips up to her face, gingerly cupping her cheeks. He took in a shaky breath and closed his eyes.

When he reopened them, the expression had changed. The fear was still there, but it was laced with determination now. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

He straightened and took his hands away from her face, grabbing one of her hands instead.

"Come" he said hoarsely, leading her toward the hallway. He glanced at Ric and tilted his head briefly, signaling him to follow.

Ric still stood on the threshold with wide eyes. He had never seen his buddy with his guard down like this, and he wondered what had happened to provoke it now. He had known why Damon had been so angry that afternoon; he usually didn't say much, but he saw all the more. He knew that he was on edge now, trying to deal with his feelings and Elena's indecision. Something had changed since he had left Bonnie's home. And Ric was quite sure that this something scared the hell out of him to lose the closeness that had grown between him and Elena. What could that be? Extremely curious he followed them.

In the hallway Damon turned toward the door leading to the basement. Right in front of it he paused, taking Elena's other hand, holding both tight in his own now.

"Elena", he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I…I want you…I need you to remember."

Her brows shot up, her eyes widened questioningly. "What do you mean, Damon?"

Holding her gaze, he swallowed again. "Everything" he said with a slightly cracking voice. "Just remember, okay?" he urged. Elena nodded, still looking bemused.

Taking a deep breath Damon let go of her hands, opened the door to the basement and began to go downstairs. That surprised Elena even more. What could it be that he wanted to show her in the basement?

He stopped in front of the door leading to the cell where only four days ago he had been lying in, precluded from committing suicide by his brother.

Elena noted that the latch on the door was locked. She frowned; someone was in there. When Damon briefly tipped his head to point to the small barred window, she stepped closer, curiosity getting the better of her, and peered through the bars.

She gasped, and her heart skipped a beat before it started to race. Damon closed his eyes in defeat.

On a makeshift bed in the cell lay Stefan.

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><p>.<p>

Four heads were hovering over the large book Ric had found something in; it was one of the oldest grimmoires Bonnie had 'inherited' from the Martins. Tyler pointed on a drawing of several pebbles.

"Are those The Seven?"

"Yes; it's written here, you see?" She pointed at some words written underneath the picture Tyler couldn't read.

"I don't understand that…" he grumbled, lightly unnerved that she made him feeling stupid. Bonnie spared him a glance before she started to explain. "These words just mean 'The Seven'; and don't worry, Tyler, I don't understand everything either, I need to translate it with other books…"

"You mean there is a dictionary 'English-Witchy/Witchy-English?" Caroline looked baffled.

Bonnie smiled at her friend. "No, of course not. Look, this grimmoire is very old; like English and every other living language, …'Witchy" she tossed Caroline an even brighter smile, "has changed in the course of time, too. I have to go through other grimmoires to understand the meaning of every word I don't understand by now; so it's a bit more time-consuming than just use a dictionary…" She sighed. "What I can tell right now is that the stones were made to defeat a hybrid, which we already knew, and that they are not ready to be used; it seems as if I have to spell them first, and I have to find out, what spell I'll need for that. Jeremy," she addressed her boyfriend now, "could you help me with this?"

Jeremy nodded; he was glad that he could be helpful with her research at least.

Caroline paced over to the sideboard her purse was lying on, grabbed it and dragged out her cell phone. "I'll text Elena if I can come over to the boarding house to raid some blood bags…" she announced and let her fingers fly over the keyboard of her cell phone. The incoming text one minute later obviously told her to come; she grabbed Tyler's hand and strode over to the front door. Turning her head back, she spoke over her shoulder. "Call us if you find out something…"

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><p>.<p>

"Oh my God…" Elena was at loss for words. She couldn't believe it; everything they had done for days had aimed to find Stefan. And when they finally had tracked him down, still trying to find a way to get him back…he just lay there.

"Elena?" Alaric became flustered at the sight of the appalled looking, completely paled girl. "What is it?" he demanded, shoving her cautiously aside to have a look through the bars himself.

"Oh my God…" he echoed her unintentionally.

Elena turned to Damon who leaned against the wall with one shoulder, arms protectively crossed in front of his chest. "How did you…" She trailed off; words still escaped her. After throwing another brief glance at the locked door and the equal speechless man in front of it, she took a deep breath and finally managed to let out a complete sentence.

"What did you do?"

"As much as I'd like to say that I was the hero who rescued your boyfriend for you, putting my own life at risk…" he smirked, "sorry to disappoint you, I didn't do anything. He just stood on the porch when I left the house to come back to Bonnie's."

"What? He escaped Klaus?"

"He wasn't exactly his prisoner, Elena." Damon clarified. "He gave himself over to him, probably meaning he stayed by choice." He shifted uncomfortably. "That doesn't mean that Klaus won't chase him now. He will. He needs him." He stepped to the door, refilling the space Alaric had left empty mere seconds before; his expression softened when he eyed his brother lying in the cell. Elena watched him amazed; she knew that the brothers, despite everything standing between them, had an unbreakable bond, that they loved each other and that each one of them would give his life for the other one without hesitation. They both had proved it more than once. But it seemed to be an unspoken law not to show their love, to no one. And here Damon stood, gazing at his little brother with tenderness in his eyes.

Elena couldn't help but move closer, laying a hand on his back to show him that she was there for him; she felt his body tensing up and saw his eyes getting shut. When he didn't relax after a few seconds she got the feeling to invade his personal space and pulled her hand away, leaving a feeling of emptiness somewhere deep down.

Alaric cleared his throat and broke the eerie silence. "What do we do now? The boarding house isn't safe anymore."

Damon turned away from the door and strode toward the staircase. "Let's just go upstairs to talk; I could use a drink or four…"

Elena held him back. "Uh…Damon? Is it possible for me to go inside for a moment?"

"No way" he replied without thinking twice. "He is on vervain now, but it won't last for eternity. I don't know when he'll wake up again. No."

She gave him a pleading look, and he knew immediately that he had lost this fight. "Can't you come with me? Please? I…I need to … to touch him; I need to feel that it's real…."

Damon snorted. "Was the last time you felt him not real enough?" The words slipped out of his mouth before he could hold them back, and he felt instantly sorry for them. She winced, but she swallowed the pain and the briefly rising anger down instantly.

"That's the reason why I need to do it now, when he's sleeping. I don't want to see him for evermore like…you know what. Now he looks so…normal…I need that to face him once he woke up. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but…can you do that for me?"

His jaws clenched; was he really supposed to play the bodyguard when Elena bonded with his brother again? Then he saw the fear in her eyes and realization hit him; she was right, she needed that. It wasn't about rebuilding the bond between them, but about trying to heal her wounds. He began to raise his hand to caress her cheek, but changed his mind and let it slump down again. He sighed, nodded silently, grabbed the vervain dart Ric was holding out to him and unlocked the latch. He laid his hand under her elbow and led her into the cell, cautiously approaching the sleeping vampire. "I need you to stay close to me. No stupidities this time" he instructed her quietly. And for once, Elena didn't object.

For a while she just stood there and let her gaze rest on Stefan. The minutes he almost had killed her flashed back to her mind. She tried to figure him as the loving and caring man she once knew him to be; yet, she couldn't. The picture of the insane looking vampire who wanted to hurt her, who wanted to kill her was dominant. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Then she braced herself. No way. She wouldn't give up. She wouldn't let Klaus win. Determinedly she wiped the tears away, choked back her fear and crouched down beside Stefan. Damon instantly placed both of his hands on her shoulders, ready to drag her away in case his brother moved. Elena reached up to his one hand and gave it a fierce squeeze, then she let go of him. She lifted her other hand up to Stefan's face, lightly stroking his forehead. Running her hand down to his cheek, she gently cupped it. Then she took in a deep breath. "We will get you back on track, Stefan. Everything will be okay." She didn't know who she tried to convince, Stefan or herself. He stirred slightly, and Damon tensed; Elena didn't flinch. The tears kept falling when she straightened and turned toward the door.

Once Damon had locked the latch again, he turned to watch Elena. The need to take her in his arms and hold her until the tears were dried grew immensely, but he refused to give in; he didn't trust himself to stop, and he was not supposed to go further.

"Feel better now?" he asked quietly instead. Elena didn't react; she leaned against the wall and glided down along until she sat on the floor, arms wrapping around her bent legs. She laid her head on her knees and her whole body began to shake from silent sobbing.

Damon stood there and his heart ached, partly for the desperate girl who had to fight this battle, partly for himself and the role he had to play in this damn game. After a while he sat down on the floor next to her; his hand sneaked in hers, entwining fingers. And like months before they sat together on the basement's floor, observing Stefan's vervain caused sleep before the withdrawal. Yet, so much had changed since then...

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><p>.<p>

When they had heard Caroline and Tyler come in, they eventually had gone up to the parlor. Damon had poured himself a drink and after a side glance at Elena he'd decided that she could take one, too. They had filled in Caroline and Tyler, and Caroline had been at the basement to watch the sleeping vampire herself. Now they were all sitting on couches and armchairs in the parlor, discussing what to do next.

"Is there possibly any way to make a house vampire safe again?" Ric asked.

"There has to be a way. If there's not...we're totally screwed" Damon enunciated; he was lounging on his favorite armchair, head leaning against its back, eyes shut. "Klaus will come over to take his precious ripper with him; he needs him for his hybrids."

"And we can't go back to Bonnie's home; not with ...Stefan, as long as he is not away from human blood..." Elena trailed off; it hurt too much to talk about him as of a problem, but he definitely was one in his current state.

Damon lifted his head, opening his eyes, and glared at Elena; he knew the game that was starting now. "_We_ can't go back there, meaning me and my brother. _You_ sure as hell _will_ go there; at least until we have found a way to make the boarding house safe" he stated firmly, bracing himself for Elena objecting. And he knew her well, the objection came immediately.

"I won't leave you alone..." she asserted but was interrupted by her cell phone going off. She snatched it from the table, where it was lying since Caroline had called her, throwing an angry glance at Damon; she noted that is was Bonnie calling and answered it. "Hey, Bonnie. What is it? ...You did? ...That's really good, Bonnie. How does it...okay...We should do it soon...yeah, you should come over to the boarding house as soon as you can...and we need your help for something else...We need the boarding house to be vampire safe again, isn't there a spell for it?...okay...just come over and bring what you need, okay?...Yeah. See you, Bonnie." Elena hung up and addressed Ric and Tyler, knowing that Damon and Caroline had been eavesdropping anyways. "They are coming over, and they have news about The Seven, it seems as Bonnie has to spell them first. And she brings the grimmoire where she thinks a spell for uninviting vampires might be in."

"There better is one, I prefer not to be forced to tie you up and carry you to Bonnie's..." Damon grumbled, earning himself another angry glance of Elena.

Tyler interjected the silent fight. "I don't get it yet. Stefan came back, just like that? I didn't expect that from what you told us earlier." He had everyone's attention; four heads turned to Damon, questioningly gazing at him. He sighed, downed his bourbon, rose from the armchair and paced over to the liquor table. He refilled his tumbler, turned back and leaned against the table. He thought at what had happened two hours ago.

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><p>.<p>

_Damon grabbed his jacket and turned to leave the house to return to Bonnie's home. A part of him would have preferred to stay away from there, from Elena; but the need to be with her, to see that she was safe, was stronger. _

_He opened the door and reeled back; on the porch stood his brother, unreadable expression on his face, scanning him with his eyes from tip to toe. _

_"Hello brother" Damon greeted, involuntarily thinking of the day when he had said the same words so many months ago after they hadn't seen each other for 15 years; he had come to make his brother's life miserable again, and that night he had tried to entice Stefan to reject his bunny diet, to share Elena's blood. And now the situation was reverse; so much had changed since that day, _he_ had changed so much..."You come for a visit? You should have called before you were coming; I could have bought some cookies or invited some brown haired girls."_

_Stefan's expression didn't change, but his eyes darkened in anger. "What have you done to her?" he growled._

_One eyebrow shot up, and Damon took one step closer to his brother. "What _I_ have done to her? No, what have _you_ done to her is the right question. _I_ didn't rip her throat apart. I just went through hell and back with her and saved her life several times so that she can find you and bring you back to normal." _And she saved mine as often as I saved hers...and we kissed...twice now…

_Stefan winced, and suddenly he looked insecure. "I didn't...I was...I don't know...is she okay?" he whispered._

"_Not thanks to you, but yes, she is" Damon replied, suppressed anger lacing his tone. _

_Stefan nodded, relief flying over his face for a second; then his expression went cold. "Good for you that I was out of the way, wasn't it? She ran straight into your arms. What did you tell her? That I've changed into what she hates the most? That I'm a threat for her now and that you would be her white knight to keep her safe from me? Did it feel good?" He spoke in a low, menacing voice. _

_Damon shrugged. "Believe what you want, Stefan. But if I had done so, would it have been wrong?"_

_He had barely ended when Stefan lunged at him. But Damon knew his brother and had seen it coming; he blurred aside easily and Stefan crushed into the wall Damon had been standing in front of. "Oh, brother, still so predictable..." he teased. In a flash Stefan stood again, but didn't attack anymore. Damon turned to the stairs of the porch and went down. "Seriously, Stefan, what do you want? Why are you here?" He walked over toward his car, observing Stefan's every move out of the corner of his eye. Stefan followed him down, but rested at the foot of the stairs. "Caroline..." he murmured._

_Damon turned his head and saw the expression on his brother's face changing again; the coldness faded away leaving just confusion. "Caroline?" he asked baffled, but then remembered the girls' trip to Stefan's mind. "What about Caroline?" While demanding, he casually opened the passenger door of his car and clapped the glove box open. He rummaged in it, took something out, put it in the back pocket of his jeans, closed it and straightened to close the door again._

_Stefan seemed to be oblivious about everything happening around him. "She is my friend..."_

_Damon stared at him incredulously. "You mean you're here because Caroline is your friend, while your girlfriend's despair couldn't persuade you to come over?" he hissed. "I always thought you deserved her. I was wrong..." Again Stefan pounced on him, vamping out in a split second; only this time Damon didn't flinch. His hands shot up and closed instantly around his brother's neck, pushing his windpipe shut, but Stefan punched his fist several times violently against Damon's head so that he had to loosen his grip. After a few punches, Damon snatched Stefan's hand and held it fiercely in place, jerking his forehead against Stefan's at the same time, and then he hurled him against the wall beside the porch. Like before Stefan stood on his feet again in a flash and blurred toward his brother, but Damon was faster; he grabbed from his back pocket what he had put in there earlier, and flung his hand against Stefan's stomach. The younger Salvatore stopped in his movement and gasped, tilted his head down and stared at his stomach from where a stake protruded; Damon tore it out a little, only to plunge it in again, a little farther this time, twisting the stake to cause more damage. Stefan looked up and gaped at his brother, then he slumped down on the ground. Damon blurred into the house and was back in an instant, just in time to deter Stefan from dragging the stake out, and jerked two vervain darts in his shoulder. Having no more vervain in his system, Stefan glared at him before he passed out. _

_Damon glowered at his little brother, then his eyes softened and he knelt down and pulled the stake out, placing it back in his pocket. "I'm sorry, Stef" he murmured; then he lifted him up, threw him over his shoulder and carried him inside and down to the basement._

_._

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><p><em>.<br>_

Damon decided to make it short. "Not exactly" he began his condensed account. "Stefan was...confused. I don't know why he came here, but I don't think that he wanted to leave Klaus. I fought with him and …I vervained him." He glanced at Tyler and Caroline, avoiding eye contact with Elena. She eyed him suspiciously, sensing that he concealed something from her, but didn't press now.

"So he will be mad at you when he'll wake up…" Ric guessed.

"Anger and withdrawal…not a good combination…" Caroline rose from the couch, paced over to the kitchen and helped herself to a blood bag from the fridge. "Uh, Damon? This is the last one in here; I go downstairs and fetch some to refill the fridge in the kitchen" she announced, coming back to the parlor and heading toward the hallway. She came back scarcely one minute later, her arms filled with about fifteen blood bags. "That's all we…uh…you have left. Someone should go to rob a blood bank very soon…"

"Why thank you, Barbie, that's a great idea; that way _you_ can choose the blood type…" Damon smirked, earning him an abashed look of Caroline; he knew fully well that she didn't mean to go herself. The smirk faded away and he sighed, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch Elena had settled in. "I'll go as soon as Bonnie will have succeeded in making the boarding house safe against Klaus." He cocked his head, listening to sounds only a vampire could hear. "They are coming."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Thank you all that you stayed with me...And thank you for all your awesome reviews!

For all the impatient Delena-shippers: here's a little more of it than lately...

And don't forget to review!

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

_The night you held me under a spell_

_ You know I cannot hide_

_You're the very thing unwinding me_

_.  
><em>

No Way Out by Rie Sinclair

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><p>.<p>

The daylight had turned to dusk; slowly darkness crept its way between the wood and the boarding house. Once more seven people were assembled in the parlor. Bonnie paced back and forth while explaining the others what she and Jeremy had found out.

"So, we knew already that we need The Seven and seven people holding them to defeat Klaus. They have to be at least one of each kind, meaning human, vampire, werewolf and witch. Luckily there's leastwise one of each here as requested, so that's no problem. But there is more; I have to cast a spell on them first, and I need the blood of a vampire, a werewolf and the doppelganger for it, because these are the species that had been involved in breaking the curse. The first thing the stones will do is sort of unbreak the curse."

"Wait" Damon interjected, standing behind the sofa Elena was sitting on, bracing his hands on its back. "The voice in the intermediate world told us that the spells were irreversible."

Bonnie shook her head. "No, the spells that enabled Klaus to become a hybrid and to create his own race were irreversible; not the fact that he is one now."

Ric narrowed his eyes. "If we'll succeed in unbreaking the curse" he contemplated aloud, "but not in getting any further…will it be a lasting state then? Will Klaus be just a vampire, no werepire anymore?"

Bonnie tilted her head lightly, her face showing a hint of an apology. "Sadly that's what I don't know for sure…I think it will be stable, but…"

"If we don't succeed in killing him, it won't matter anymore for us, because we'll be dead anyways" Jeremy, casually leaning against the liquor table, asserted matter-of-factly. "He still will be the oldest and strongest vampire ever, and he won't be content…"

Caroline looked uncomprehending; she was snuggled against Tyler on a couch, and Elena mentally kicked herself when she realized that she still hadn't have the opportunity to talk to her friend about the current state of her relationship to him. "Do you know by now what we will have to do with the stones? I assume that we're not going to try to stone him to death…" Caroline grinned wryly.

Bonnie stopped pacing; instead she leaned against a sideboard where she had placed her glass of water. She emptied it, winning herself a little time; this was the part of information she was not really satisfied with. "As far as I understood the text in the grimmoire, The Seven have to build a circle around Klaus, and we have to hold them; so in fact we have to build a circle."

"Funny" Damon huffed, straightening and running one hand through his hair. "How are we supposed to sneak up on a werepire who can sense us from miles away? Should we invite him to play circle games with us?"

"I guess we have to figure something out" Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know yet, but we still have a little time, because we have the best chance to defeat him on a new moon; that's his weakest time as werewolf. I think it would be best to cast the spell on the stones with the blood right now in order to have them prepared for when we need them."

"We can do that, but first order should be finding a spell to uninvite vampires from the house" Elena remembered her friend; she didn't want to leave the boarding house, let alone tied up…and she didn't want to leave Damon; he still seemed to be on edge and she was afraid about what he could do if he was left alone. And to be honest, she didn't want to be apart of him; they had been apart just the two hours earlier, and she had felt…alone.

Bonnie gazed at her smiling contentedly, earning herself a surprised look of Elena. "You got one?"

Bonnie nodded, and Elena rushed over to her and embraced her fiercely; she was beyond relieved to know her loved ones safe in the boarding house, including herself being able to stay here. "Go ahead, Bonnie. Do you need anything?"

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Officially Elena still was the owner of the house, so she had to invite the vampires in. Damon and Caroline were waiting on the porch like weeks ago Damon had done with Stefan.

They had decided to keep the younger Salvatore in the basement; they didn't dare to bring him outside. Elena was supposed to go down to the basement to observe him; with the first signs of being not allowed in the house anymore she wanted to invite him in again. The picture of her boyfriend attacking her was still vivid in her mind, and she didn't want to be alone with him, so she asked Tyler to accompany her.

When they went downstairs, Tyler sensed her nervousness and placed his hand on her back to give her support. Peering through the bars they checked on Stefan, anxious not to miss the signs they were waiting for.

Elena threw a side glance at Tyler and decided to use the opportunity. "May I ask you something?" He raised his brows, eying her questioningly and eventually nodded. "What is this between you and Caroline?" Elena asked quietly, knowing that the vampires outside possibly could hear them.

Tyler spared her a glance, then turned to watch Stefan again. He hesitated; he was not used to talk about feelings to anyone, let alone a girl. Yet, a lot had changed; why not changing this habit, too? "To be honest…I don't know. She really was amazing to me…and I…I kinda fell for her. She was in love with Matt; now she isn't with him anymore, but only because he can't stand all that supernatural stuff…and I think she still loves him. Then again…she's behaving different now. Almost as if…ugh, I just don't know." He couldn't hide the anger about his own insecurity rising up.

Elena laid a hand on his arm. "I don't know what she's feeling. But I know her well, and you're right. She's behaving different, almost as if. Talk to her, Tyler."

He winced; he didn't want to risk to be rejected once more. "I already kissed her…"

"I know" Elena replied. "Things have changed since then…" _And not only between you and her…_

Tyler nodded, but he couldn't answer anymore; Stefan suddenly stirred and groaned in obvious pain without any visible cause. Elena was reminded at Elijah when she had pulled the dagger out, and she knew what she had to do. "Stefan, I invite you in this home."

Apparently the pain was gone instantly. Stefan remained motionless for a while, and then his eyes popped open. For a second he looked disoriented, but it took him only one brief glance to know where he was and to come to a conclusion about what had happened. All of a sudden he lunged toward the door, snatching Elena's hand that was clutching one of the bars. Elena jumped and gasped; she tried to squirm free of his grip, but it was too tight. "Open the door" he growled. Tyler instantly tried to punch his fist against Stefan's head, but he dodged it easily.

"Let go of me!" Elena shouted, but the pressure only increased, and she felt her little finger breaking. "Open the door" Stefan repeated, glaring at her. Tyler held his hand fiercely in his own, but he couldn't manage to loosen the grip on Elena's hand. Elena vaguely heard Damon's voice, but she knew he couldn't reach her; he was still stuck on the porch.

"Stefan, you're hurting me! Let go of me!" she yelled; at that, Stefan loosened her hand from the bar and tugged her closer to the door. She fought against him tooth and nails, but it didn't affect him more than a butterfly flapping his wings. Stefan's other hand shot up when she was close enough and his fingers clenched around her neck, pushing her wind pipe shut. Tyler hectically looked around for anything he could plunge in Stefan's arm but found nothing. Once more he punched his fist against Stefan's head; however, Stefan didn't react. "Open the damned door" he snarled. Elena's vision began to blur. Again she heard Damon upstairs, and suddenly she knew what to do.

"Damon, come in!" she managed to croak with the tiniest rest of air she had left in her lunges, and in a flash he was there. He furiously jerked his fist several times against his brother's head, so fast that Stefan couldn't dodge it. Then Damon grabbed Stefan's wrists and pushed fiercely, until Elena heard his bones breaking, too. Stefan hissed in pain and finally let go of her throat and hand, and she drew in a much needed breath. She staggered and slumped down, but Damon caught her in his arms and held her tight. "Elena…" His voice was barely hearable, but she heard it.

"I'm fine" she whispered; yet, tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Yeah, clearly…" Damon huffed, stroking her hair. Her body was shaking and her legs could scarcely carry her weight. He scooped her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his shoulder. Nodding curtly toward Tyler to thank him, Damon turned toward the cell door, glaring at Stefan who had crouched down, burying his wrists between his chest and his thighs to ease the pain.

"We'll talk later, _brother_" he said coldly and left him to go upstairs. When they entered the hallway he paused briefly when his gaze fell on Caroline, nervously standing on the porch.

"You still have to invite Caroline in, Elena" he murmured into her hair.

Elena lifted her head to cast a glance at her friend. "Caroline, come on in" she said, letting her head plump on Damon's shoulder again. She had been through worse during the last weeks; however, she felt exhausted like never before and right now, she wanted nothing but lying in his arms for eternity. When she realized that Damon paced toward the parlor, she held him back. "Don't go in there…"

He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her, examining her expression cautiously. Then he turned to go upstairs, tilting his head to address Caroline who meanwhile had entered.

"Tell them that she's okay and just needs to rest a little." Caroline nodded, stepping closer and stroking Elena lightly over her cheek with a cool hand. Elena smiled slightly at that with eyes shut but now spilling tears. Caroline and Tyler, who had been behind Damon, went to join the others in the parlor who were completely oblivious about what had happened in the basement.

When Damon reached the second floor he hesitated briefly, then pushed the door to his bedroom open and gingerly laid her on his bed. He knelt down and gently examined her neck where Stefan had clenched his hand around; when he saw the bruises his brother had caused, he felt wrath rising up in his throat. He bit it back; he wasn't capable of caring for her if he was that angry. He caressed her neck, then he carefully took her hand to check it up; he frowned when he saw her little finger bent in an unnatural angle. He knew he had to set the bone, and it would hurt.

He turned to her face, stroked her hair and swallowed. "Elena, your finger is broken. I have to set the bone. I could compel you, so you wouldn't feel the pain…"

"No" she cut him off immediately in a low, but determined voice. Damon nodded; he had known it anyway, but it had been worth a shot.

He took a deep breath and prepared himself. "You really _are_ stubborn, you know that, right?" he asserted, and the moment she opened her eyes and smiled at him, he tore her finger straight. She gasped both in surprise and in pain, then she realized that it was already done and she gratefully gazed at him. Their eyes met and locked, and Damon's heart started to flutter and a familiar feeling of warmth flooding through his veins set in. He broke away, cleared his throat and rose to his feet.

"I have to get a bandage for your finger from the kitchen. I'll be right back." He hesitated, and then he bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She grabbed his hand with her healthy hand.

"Damon?"

"Yes, Elena?"

"Just hurry up, okay?"

He smiled down at her. "Give me 20 seconds…" He gave her hand a squeeze and blurred out of his bedroom.

Elena felt the loss of his presence almost as physical pain, and she was glad when he blurred in again after less than 20 seconds. He sat down on the edge of his bed, took Elena's hand and carefully bandaged her finger. When he was done he didn't let go of her hand; he held it gently in his own and gazed at her with such intensity that Elena felt a shiver running down her spine.

"I won't let you near him anymore. Not until I can be sure that he means you no more harm" he said hoarsely.

Elena snorted. "Trust me; I have no intention to go down there again." She shuddered and tears were running down her temples.

He stared at her, and his eyes filled with compassion. There it was. She had fought against it all along; eventually she had lost this battle now. She was frightened of her boyfriend. More precisely, scared to death. He knew that it wasn't the vicious and violent vampire she was so scared of; she had faced worse. It was the fact that it was the man she loved who was capable of doing these things to her that made her world shatter into pieces. _Great, Stefan. You're such an idiot__... _He wiped away the tears with his thumb and caressed her cheek. "That will change again…" he said softly.

"I hope so…" she answered quietly, despair lacing her voice.

She closed her eyes; she looked exhausted. "You need to rest, Elena." He squeezed her hand he was still holding and tried to stand up, but she fiercely held him back.

"Don't leave me alone, Damon" she pleaded. Her world was torn apart, and he was the only steady rock in it. Tonight she needed his support; even if it was selfish.

"You're safe here. I just go downstairs. Bonnie needs our blood to cast the spell. I'll give her mine and ask her to come here for yours…"

"No, please… don't. I don't want to see anyone tonight. Can't you do this blood thing?"

"You don't… not even Bonnie?" He looked bewildered, and then worry flew over his features.

"No, not even Bonnie" she stated firmly. When she saw the concern in his face, she squeezed his hand and smiled lightly. "Don't worry; I'm fine; I'm just …tired." After a moment she added: "Go down and give her your blood. Could you bring me something to cut my finger and something to put my blood in? I'll do it myself."

_If he could get her these things? Yeah, he could. He'd get her a horse so that she could ride it in his room if she asked to... _He nodded and stood up. "I'll be right back."

He was back merely two minutes later with a sharp knife and an empty small vial. He sat down on his bed again, took Elena's bandaged hand, made a short cut into the ball of the thumb and let the blood drip into the vial. When it seemed to be enough he closed the vial, put it on the night stand and pushed his thumb on the small wound to stop the bleeding. After a minute he applied a band-aid, grabbed the vial and stood up again.

"Back in a flash…" he sing-songed. And he was back in a flash, with a light grin on his face. Yet, the grin faded away when he saw her face. There was so much desperation visible that he finally gave in, crawled on his bed and took her in his arms. And finally she didn't try anymore to hold back the tears but let them run down her face freely. Her body was shaking of sobbing and she buried her face in his chest. And Damon held her tight; that was all he could give her, and it was all she needed.

And despite the circumstances that had led to this, both relished the closeness they had avoided all day long since the kiss they had shared.

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><p>.<p>

They lay like this for a long time. Damon heard Bonnie casting the spell on the stones, and they both could hear them all leaving the boarding house. Only Ric decided to feel invited to crash here; he still couldn't imagine going back to his apartment.

Just when Damon thought Elena was falling asleep she broke the silence. "Will I ever be capable of trusting him again?"

Damon narrowed his eyes; he had wondered himself. She'd had already doubts about that after her nightmare. Since then, Stefan had attacked her twice, and both times he really had hurt her, had been about to kill her. If he hadn't come in time…He swallowed. "_You_ ask _me_ that, Elena? What do _I_ know about trust? I don't trust anyone."

"You trust me" she replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah…you…you're special." He breathed in deeply. "You are the most forgiving person I ever knew. You will forgive him too."

"It's not about forgiving, Damon. I know that I'll forgive him; he's not himself right now, how could I not forgive him? It's about trust. I don't think that I could ever forget what he has done to me…How could I trust him then?"

"You haven't forgotten what I have done to you, and still… you trust me…" His voice was filled with amazement about the miracle of her trust despite everything.

She sighed impatiently. "I told you, this is something different."

"Yes, you told me, and I know what you mean." He paused, thinking about the difference. "I believe that you will trust him when you recognize his old self again once he's back to normal. He will be this other person again, the one you love and always could trust, because he doesn't snap just like that, just because he's upset_." Like I do…_

As if she had heard what he'd thought, she glanced up at him. "It's long ago, Damon…" she said quietly.

He caught her eyes, holding them. Mentally kicking himself, he replied: "Not as long as you might think…"

Elena didn't flinch; her gaze only intensified. "You mean the night Rose died…"

Damon's brows shot up in surprise, his eyes went wide. He swallowed, then he whispered stunned: "You knew?"

She sneaked her arm around his waist to hold him tight. "I wasn't sure."

_Now she was, and still she held him _…Once again he felt his stomach fluttering. "I don't get it Elena. How can you trust me and not him? When he's back to normal, he's much more reliable than I ever was…"

"You never hurt me, and you never would. He only needs to drink human blood to stop caring about whom he's hurting…Who is more reliable for me now?"

He was at loss for words. And right now, he really didn't want to fight for her love in Stefan's name anymore. Still holding her gaze, he knew that he'd start to fight for himself now if he didn't change the subject; and although Stefan had tried to kill her, he still couldn't do that. He gave her shoulders a light squeeze and let his eyes break away.

"Give it a rest, Elena. Let's focus on what needs to be done right now. Speaking of, I have to go hunting; we need animal blood for my baby bro…" He felt her tensing instantly and she held him tighter as if she wanted to hold him back.

"Damon…"

"Relax; I'm not going tonight, okay? And I'm not leaving you here without protection. We'll call Barbie to come over." He felt her nodding; no objection, no 'I don't need to be protected'. She really was frightened. He pulled her a little closer. "Sleep now, Elena. You're safe here" he murmured into her hair and gave her a feathery kiss on her head.

She nodded again. Yes, she was safe here. With him.

Knowing that, she finally fell asleep.

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Elena woke with a start. Not knowing what it was that had awoken her, she glanced around. The first thing she noticed was that she was alone; he was gone…Coldness crept through her veins, until she saw the note he had left on the pillow where his head should've been. She seized it, glad to have found a sign that he had not been kidnapped, what, to be honest, wasn't highly presumable anyway. She grinned when she saw the pictures he had sketched: a huge Halloween plastic vampire denture snapping after a bunny; a Barbie doll sitting with straight legs on a sofa, curling her hair, a tumbler filled with dark liquid standing on a table next to her; and a mug filled with something steamy, coffee she assumed.

She went to the bathroom taking a quick, yet much needed shower; then she briefly thought about looking if she still had any of her own clothes here, but decided against this option; she couldn't bring herself to enter Stefan's room. Instead she paced tentatively over to Damon's closet, opened it and grabbed one of his shirts, hoping it wouldn't bother him. She snorted lightly: she worried about crossing the boundaries of a man who never cared about the boundaries of anyone…she pulled it on and went downstairs, joining Caroline who was sitting on a sofa reading a book; no hair curling, no blood filled tumbler and, surprisingly, no straight legs. Elena slid her hand into the pocket of her jeans to feel the paper he had left her; a shadow of the grin from earlier stole its way on her face, widening when she greeted her friend. "Hey Care! Since when are you here?"

Caroline looked up from the book and smiled brightly when she saw Elena. "Morning. Damon called me about half an hour ago. You want some coffee?"

"Stay put, I'll go get some. Want one too?" Caroline nodded, and two minutes later Elena came back from the kitchen with two mugs filled with steamy coffee. She settled on the same couch as Caroline, leaning against the armrest, pulling her knees up.

"Feel better today?" Caroline asked affectionately.

"Yes. Have you seen…Stefan…today?" Elena wasn't sure if she really wanted to hear anything about him, but the need to ask was stronger. Caroline gazed at her with caution in her eyes.

"I've been downstairs 15 minutes ago…he was…raging…he slammed his bed against the wall…" She trailed off. She still was kind of shocked. Elena suddenly knew what had woken her. "He didn't even notice I was there…I guess he's hungry…" Caroline tried to appease, detecting immediately by the sight of her appalled looking friend that her attempt didn't work.

"I should go down and talk to him…" Elena suggested half heartedly, but was cut off by Caroline.

"No way. I'm not allowed to let you go down." She stated fiercely.

"Not allowed?" Anger rose up, but the very next moment it was replaced by gratefulness. He knew her well; he had known that she would go to Stefan, just because she felt responsible. And she really, _really_ didn't want to go; and she was quite sure he had known that, too. She nodded.

They were distracted by a noise coming from the front door. At first Elena thought it was Damon coming back from the hunt, but she realized quickly that it didn't sound like him at all. Curiously she stood up and paced over to the entrance, but Caroline was faster. "Stay back, Elena. I'll open the door…" She turned the knob and flung the door open, stepping back in one fluent move.

"So, you are alive? I am indeed highly interested in how you managed to achieve this."

On the porch, an amused grin curling his lips, stood Klaus.

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A/N: Don't forget to drop a review; they are what makes my day...


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own anything; If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Well, that was quite a progress of Delena, wasn't it? Let's see, if they can do something with it...

And thanks to those who have reviewed! Did I mention that your reviews make my day?**  
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><p><strong>.<br>**

**Chapter 16**

_ Who will love you? _

_ Who will fight?_

_ And who will fall, far behind?_

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Skinny Love by Birdy

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Both girls gasped, and a flicker of delight sparkled in Klaus' eyes.

Elena regained her composure fast. "You're missing something? Your precious ripper, maybe?" she challenged. Caroline tensed beside her.

"Yes, my lovely, my partner in pleasure is missing. We had so much fun together; I don't assume that you have seen him, perhaps?" He leaned casually against the banister, an observant gaze lying underneath his grin.

"Maybe he didn't find it as funny as you thought…" Elena suggested, shrugging slightly.

Klaus' grin widened, and his eyes glowed remembering the experiences he shared with Stefan. "Oh, trust me, he did. Would you like to know more about what we did for the past days? I could tell you some details about Stefan's preferred prey…"

Elena's brows furrowed; she didn't want to hear any of this, but she wouldn't give him the joy to scare her. "Go ahead. You'll do it anyways, no matter what I say, don't you? You're like one of those little children who say 'I don't tell you about the secret that I have stolen some chocolate from you…Oops…' " She heard Caroline hissing beside her.

At that Klaus laughed a melodic, cheerful laughter. "I like you. You're courageous."

Elena looked highly uninterested. "I could care less if you like me…What do you want here?"

Klaus narrowed his eyes; the joyous expression disappeared from his features. "I want Stefan to keep his part of the bargain. Elsewise I have no intention to keep mine …you remember what it was about, don't you?" he challenged her.

Elena paled slightly but stood her ground. "We're. Not. Afraid of you" she stated firmly, emphasizing every word.

He smiled at her nonchalantly. "Oh, that'll change…when every single night a werewolf ravages through the town, killing preferably high school students…" He paused seemingly considering something. His smile turned brighter. "I submit you a proposal. There is another option. You can keep Stefan and take his place yourself; I'd agree to uphold my end of the bargain then. What do you think?"

"She thinks that you should get the hell out of her sight" a voice announced fiercely from behind him. Three heads jerked around to see Damon leaning against the fender of his Camaro, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Ah, the eldest Mr. Salvatore joined us." Klaus gave him a courteous smile. "The white knight coming to the rescue? I assure you, there's no need for it. We just had a little chat."

Damon blurred past him into the house, taking a protective stance beside Elena. "Fine. You're done? Sure you understand that we're not going to invite you for some coffee?"

"Oh, that is a shame. It could be a nice experience for everyone…" Klaus stepped closer until he was almost touching the invisible barrier at the threshold. He cocked his head a little and turned it lightly toward Elena, narrowing his eyes; then he lifted his chin, flaring his nostrils while breathing in deeply through his nose. Turning toward Damon he did the same again. Damon raised one brow, rejecting the urge to take a step back, tearing Elena with him; a knowing smile flitted across Klaus' face. "Think about my proposal, my dear" he addressed Elena. "I will come again to hear your answer." He bowed to her lightly, gave her a last grin and blurred away.

All three exchanged stunned looks. "Can't wait…" Elena muttered under her breath. When the tension decreased, a belated trembling set in, and she suddenly felt like losing the capability of using her legs. She stiffly walked over to the parlor and plumped down on the couch, reaching for her forgotten coffee mug, not bothering that its content meanwhile had gotten cold. She found herself envying Damon, who directly paced the well known path to the liquor table. She closed her eyes in an attempt to compose herself. When she reopened them she was staring straight on a tumbler filled with the amber liquid she had envied Damon mere seconds ago. She couldn't help but grin wryly; he really knew her well. Yet, she had to object.

"Damon, it's early morning."

"So?" He raised one brow. "You're shaking. This helps. Just drink it."

Elena sneaked a look over to Caroline who meanwhile downed her bourbon without thinking twice; she shrugged her conscience away and took a swig. Yes, it helped.

"What was that about? I mean, why Elena?" Caroline asked puzzled.

"It's about building his new race, remember? He needs a vampire who willingly had exchanged blood with the doppelganger…" Damon explained, swaying the remaining content in his tumbler until he lifted it to his mouth to pour the bourbon in. Elena eyed him warily; she was certain that he was thinking about the same as she did… _my relationship to him isn't anymore as unique as the bitches are thinking_…if Klaus would have known that, Damon probably hadn't reached the safety of the house…

Caroline still looked bemused. "It should be willingly from both parts, shouldn't it? Elena wouldn't do that…"

Damon sighed impatiently. "Barbie, he can make her…"

"Compelled doesn't mean giving willingly…"Caroline muttered annoyed about being treated as if she was stupid. Unexpectedly she got support from Elena.

"Damon, isn't she right? Willingly means by _free_ will, doesn't it?" She threw him a hopeful glance. Damon felt anger creeping into his stomach. Why did they always expect him to know everything, even if it concerns witches and their spells? It made him feel helpless if he didn't. And he really didn't do helpless. He hated it.

He almost slammed his glass on the liquor table, half expecting to hear shattering sounds; surprisingly the tumbler stayed intact. "I. Don't. Know." he growled. He breathed deeply, trying to suppress the anger. "I have no clue how serious the damn witches will take that willingly-thing. Maybe Klaus thinks that it's worth a shot; if it doesn't work, he still can enjoy Elena differently…" He swallowed and tried to push this picture aside before it could burn into his mind.

Elena watched him cautiously and decided to change the subject. "He sniffed us out, did you see that?"

Damon caught her gaze; damn, she knew him well…grateful for raising another issue he gave her a light smile and nodded. "Yes, he did. And he found out something, what ever it was. Something he liked at that. Maybe it was the scent of my shampoo on you…"

Elena flushed lightly embarrassed. "I hope you don't mind…uh…and your shirt…"

"Don't be ridiculous" he cut her off. _In fact, I could leave it unwashed for eternity_… "Just kidding…" He tore his gaze away from her and turned toward the hallway. "I'm going to make a family visit; my _dear_ brother should start to get hungry by now."

"Um…" Caroline chimed in, tapping her fingertips nervously on her leg, "maybe it's a little…messy in the cell…" Damon frowned and gazed at her questioningly. "He seemed to be…angry…uh…maybe hungry…" she trailed off.

Damon rolled his eyes. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"What? Nothing! He didn't even notice that I was there." She defended herself vehemently. He watched her for a few seconds, and then he briefly closed his eyes in annoyance. Sadly he couldn't blame Barbie for his brother's rage attack...He nodded once and went on.

"Damon?" Elena said quietly.

Damon stopped at the threshold and looked at her slightly irritated.

"Just…be careful, okay?" She gave him a pleading look, and his expression instantly softened. He resisted the impulse to step over to her and caress her cheek, instead he smiled at her.

"Always" he assured firmly and eventually left.

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When Damon entered the basement and peered into the cell he saw immediately what Caroline had meant. Obviously Stefan had slammed his bed against the wall; the mattress, sheets and pillows laid spread over the room, and the bed frame was bent on one side.

Stefan was sitting on the floor, his head leaning against the wall, his eyes closed.

"You could have cleaned up your room if you get a visitor" Damon asserted.

"Unrequited visitors can't expect that" Stefan snapped, not bothering to open his eyes.

Damon examined his brother thoroughly; he looked not so good, he was paler than usual and seemed to be exhausted. Suddenly his mind flashed back to the day the situation had been reversed only four days ago; he had been in the cell, thrown in by his brother to protect him from himself; Stefan had been standing at the door, peering through the bars like he did now and promised him to save his life. He had succeeded, and right now, he was paying the price.

"How do you feel?" he asked softly.

Stefan snorted. "What do you care?" he snarled.

Slipping back into his role he had played for such a long time he answered coldly: "I don't. But Elena does, and she will interrogate me when I'm going upstairs."

At the mentioning of her name Stefan winced slightly. "How is she?" His voice would've been too quiet for human ears; however, Damon heard it loud and clear, and this reaction caused conflicting emotions. It was the first time since he had been gone that Stefan cared about Elena, except the brief flickering of concern when they had met in front of the boarding house, and Damon was beyond relieved. It was the first sign that he began to sober up…. Then again – how dared he? He had almost killed her twice…how could he even ask? He was responsible for the shattering of Elena's world… right now he didn't deserve her, not even caring about her. The relief was overlaid by rising anger. "What do you care?" Damon hissed, mimicking his brother unintentionally.

"She's my girlfriend, of course I care" Stefan stated frowning.

"Is that why you tried to kill her twice?" Damon spat out. He inhaled deeply; he couldn't stay here, not now; he raised his hand holding a plastic bottle filled with blood and reached it through the bars. "Here. Breakfast. Drink." When Stefan didn't move, he simply let it fall to the floor and turned to leave.

"Damon…" His brother's voice held him back; it was laced with insecurity and a hint of desperation. Begrudgingly he turned back and eyed him cautiously. Stefan had finally opened his eyes and gazed at him. The insecurity Damon had heard in his voice was also visible in his eyes; that and – fear. "Who am I?"

Despite himself, Damon felt the anger fading away at hearing these words, instead compassion settled in.

"My brother" he said quietly, and then firmly: "You're my little brother."

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In the middle of the stairway he jerked to a halt; Elena was sitting on the top of the stairs, obviously in an attempt to eavesdrop.

"What are you doing here? I told you not to come…" he scowled.

"No, you told me not to go near him. I'm not." she shot back; when she focused on his eyes, her expression as well as her voice instantly got soothing. "I just wanted to know that everything is okay."

"Your precious boyfriend is starting to sober up" he huffed, taking the last steps of the stairs, going past her toward the parlor, flicking her an annoyed gaze in passing her. Elena wondered briefly what she had done again to deserve that look, then she got it; she followed him and grabbed his arm to stop him. She felt him tensing; she tried to urge him to turn to her, but he refused and shrugged her arm away. Without thinking twice she stepped in front of him and laid her palms on his chest to stop him. She tried to catch his eyes, but he avoided looking at her. Elena cupped his face with both hands and forced him to gaze down to her face; eventually he gave in and glared at her.

She didn't flinch at the anger she detected in his eyes. Angry Damon she could handle. Avoiding Damon was the one she had difficulties with. "I was there because of _you_. I wanted to know that everything is okay with _you_. Last time I checked there was kinda monster in the basement. I wanted to be sure that it doesn't munch you."

He stared at her with wide eyes. For a second she was sure to see tears glistening; then he closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip. When he looked at her again, the tears were gone.

"I can't do that…" he whispered; it seemed as if he wanted to say more, but he changed his mind, turned on his heels, rushed upstairs and slammed the door to his bedroom shut.

Elena's mouth fell open. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she moved to follow him when her gaze fell on Caroline standing in the parlor, watching her with a bewildered look on her face. She stopped and looked upstairs where he had vanished, then she decided to let it drop for now; whatever he had meant, he had made it very clear that he didn't want to see her right now. She tried in vain to bite back the tears that threatened to fall; she really, _really_ didn't want to cry again. But when Caroline blurred over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, they had already left wet streaks.

Caroline led her to a couch and they curled up on it.

The blonde vampire grabbed her iPod, let her fingers fly over the keys until music came from the small loudspeaker. She pointed at her ear, then toward the ceiling, and Elena understood; she didn't want Damon to eavesdrop.

"What was that?" she asked whispering.

Elena shrugged. "I don't know…"

Caroline nodded. "You know that he loves you?" Elena tossed her a glance, then she closed her eyes briefly and nodded.

"Does he know that you love him too?" she asked cautiously. Elena's head jerked up, staring at her friend's face.

"What? No. I don't…I love S-Stef…" She cut herself off. She couldn't even bring herself to say out loud his name, let alone to say that she loved him.

Caroline sighed. "Look" she started, "I don't know what you're feeling for Stefan. But I do know that you love Damon. I don't know why, because he's a dick, but…no, that's not true. He was a dick, but he has changed. And he never was one with you. There is something between the two of you that never has been between you and Stefan. You loved Stefan, and maybe you still do, but you never felt for him the way you feel for Damon. Trust me, I know you my whole life, and I never saw you like this. You love him."

"Stefan will need me…I can't leave him." Elena's low voice was filled with despair.

"Do you really think that he wants you to be with him out of pity?" Caroline asked softly.

"It's not pity…I …I love him."

Raising her brows, Caroline dug deeper. "As much as you love Damon?"

Elena didn't answer for a long time; she averted her eyes from Caroline's observing gaze. Eventually she said under her breath: "It will always be Stefan…" It sounded like a mantra even to her ears.

"Do you hear yourself? Who do you try to convince? Me or yourself?" Caroline insisted. And all of a sudden, the despair lingering under the surface for days now broke free; her shoulders began to shake of silent sobbing; Caroline pulled her in her arms and held her, stroking her hair.

"I don't trust him any more…" Elena said, trying to wipe away the detested tears; it was a futile effort; they kept spilling.

Caroline nodded. "That's understandable after trying to kill you twice…"

"I'm scared that I could choose Damon over him only because I don't trust him right now…"

Caroline pulled away from the hugging and caught Elena's eyes. "Your love for Damon is not just 4 days old… Honestly, Elena, it doesn't have to do anything with what happened since Stefan left; except for that it was maybe helping to admit it."

Elena still objected. "It's not only me. Damon's struggling with his guilt like I am, if not even more. Stefan gave up everything to save his life…"

Caroline cut her off. "Damon doesn't know that you love him. Tell him about your feelings and give him the opportunity to make this decision himself. Talk to him, Elena."

"I can't hurt him that much…" Elena whispered.

Caroline gazed at her intently. "Who are you talking about?" Elena's mouth fell open; she looked that puzzled that Caroline almost started to laugh, but she bit it back in time.

Elena nodded slowly, and then she looked up at her friend with a genuine smile. "Thank you, Care." She hugged her friend fiercely, rose to her feet and turned to go toward the stairway.

However, when she reached the hallway, Damon was just coming down, and before she could say a word he went to the front door. Averting his gaze from hers, he couldn't avoid noticing her tear stained face. He swallowed and hesitated for a split second; then he made his decision.

"I'm going to a blood bank. It will take a while, two or three hours." He couldn't help but turning around, glancing at her apologetically. "Stay in the house. And stay away from the basement. Please" he added quietly, turned and left the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

Elena didn't have the chance to say one single word.

And she was left with the odd feeling that she would regret this.

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Damon drove as fast as the car allowed to. It was the middle of the day, but the road he was driving on was not one of the most frequented ones, and right now he barely saw another car every ten minutes. Driving that fast on an empty road was a good way to give the messed up thoughts in his mind space to whirl around.

He was totally screwed.

He couldn't do it anymore, this pacing around each other in the weirdest kind of dance; one step forth, two steps back. Building up hope and let it shatter in the very next moment.

Damon thought about the straw he still held buried in his heart; from when she had told him how she felt when she was with him…had that really been just two nights ago? So much had happened since then between the two of them…so many steps in their dance.

She had been confused when Stefan had been away; now that he was back, she was even more…

Was she really? What she had told him earlier didn't sound confused at all. That she was watching over him, not over Stefan. And she gave him that look while saying it…_He_ didn't want to hear it. _He_ was the one who had forced his walls up again and left her stunned in the hallway. Twice today.

And what had it been about yesterday, after she'd been in Stefan's mind? He had been pissed off because she'd been so glad that Blondie had reached Saint Stefan. What had he expected? He had been relieved himself when he had heard it; why the hell shouldn't she?

Being honest to himself, Damon had to admit that most of the steps of their dance lately had been led by him. The steps back, at least; the steps forward had been steps that she had taken, every single one of them. Like the kiss…His hand unintentionally going up to his mouth, letting his fingers touching lightly his lips, his mind flashed back to that kiss, gladly reliving the intimacy of that moment and her reaction afterward. Had she been confused then? No, not at all. And, focusing on the expression her eyes were holding, he had to admit that the one retreating always had been him. Because he felt guilty to try and steel his brother's girl. The brother who he owed his life. Crap, what the hell was he doing?

To make things worse, Stefan was back. That was a good thing, of course. And Damon was grateful that Stefan started to wake out of the numbness the blood lust had caused. He really was. But…he had been so…needy. Despite everything he had done to Elena, Damon couldn't picture her to leave Stefan now, when he needed her the most. She wouldn't do that, would she? The more so as she loved him.

There. Again he was deciding what she probably would do and then taking it as a fact, reacting on it as if she had already done it. That was the wrong way to handle things. They should talk and try to figure things out together. Except that he didn't dare. Elena was right; he was a God damned coward. He was scared to death about what she could tell him.

When he'd left the house she'd wanted to say something. He had seen it in her eyes the brief moment he had allowed himself to hazard a glance at her. Only he didn't let her. He was too frightened to hear it. He knew that she had talked to Caroline; the music from her iPod, the fact that he couldn't hear them chatting – they had talked about him. Knowing that Blondie didn't like him very much …_how could she? He always had been a dick to her_ ...he really didn't want to hear about any decision she had helped Elena come to. He had preferred to cling to his straw once more.

He needed to stop that now. He was sick of it. No dancing anymore. He'd talk to her, right away when he'd be back at the boarding house.

He pulled over to the parking lot of a hospital and got off the car in a much better mood than he had got in. Thinking about what she had told him after he had come upstairs from the basement, a tiny ray of hope shone into his heart and tugged the corners of his lips up.

How could he have predicted that his plan was not supposed to happen?

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><p>AN: This chapter was fighting me; it apparently couldn't decide if it wanted more or less progress...It seems as if it has found a way in the middle...Tell me what you think about it and drop a review!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If i did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Yay, finally they both have planned to talk to each other!

Yeah, about that...

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><p>.<p>

**Chapter 17**

_ To think I might not see those eyes_

_ Makes it so hard not to cry_

_.  
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Run by Leona Lewis

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He slowly drove down the road. So slowly that cars driven by less patient people used every opportunity to pass the small vehicle. Born in a century when most of the people couldn't afford to buy a coach, and the only other possibility of crossing a distance than using the own feet was having the great luck of possessing a donkey, he really didn't like driving a car. Although he had sent away his minions for other purposes, for four days he had enjoyed the comfort of having a private chauffeur; sadly he had left him so that he had to drive on his own again until he had found a substitute. He had someone in his mind; he only had to… convince her. Yet, he could be very convincing…

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Elena was getting antsy.

Two or three hours. That's what he had said when he wanted to be back.

That was almost four hours ago now. And she became really worried meanwhile.

Besides…she missed him. They had grown so close the past days, and now…she simply missed him.

And above all she was scared that something had happened to him.

Bonnie and Jeremy had come over an hour ago to go on looking through the grimmoires, still searching for helping spells to defeat Klaus. Tyler wanted to come over a little later; he had to accompany the Mayor to "a damn official shit"; he really hated representing as The Mayor's Son.

Only Damon was missing.

Four hours. That was way too long.

Pacing back and forth all the time, she had made Caroline so nervous, that the vampire had decided to head home to take a shower she hadn't have the time to when Damon had called her this morning; now that Bonnie had arrived, who was as good as a protection as herself, she could make up for it. On her way back here she wanted to pick up Tyler to complete the group for further scheming. Ric, Jeremy and Bonnie were settled in the study, preoccupied with some of Bonnie's grimmoires she had placed here, oblivious for anything else.

That left Elena alone with her impatience, her fear…and her longing. Still pacing back and forth, alternatively strolling from parlor to kitchen to library to kitchen to parlor, she suddenly halted and tilted her head a little when she heard a noise from the front yard that sounded like the bang of a car door. Her heart skipped a beat and she instantly rushed toward the front door and flung it open.

At the sight of the man standing on the porch that she was nearly flying in the arms her heart stopped beating at all. At least it was what it felt like, until it began to race frantically; expecting Damon to come home, she had crossed the threshold, and his hand shot up to grab her arm.

"Miss me already? I'm touched, my dear" he smirked.

Klaus.

She backpedaled, but of course he refused to let her go; he held her at her wrist, tight but at the same time almost tenderly. Then surprisingly he loosened his grip. Elena instantly twisted her arm and managed to squirm free, backing off into the safety of the house. The relief about this little victory was diminished by the knowledge that she only had succeeded in breaking free from him because he had let her; yet, she felt much better behind the door frame. She focused on calming down her erratically beating heart, knowing and hating the fact that he could hear it.

"You. Again." In an effort to make herself looking bored, she rolled her eyes and leaned casually against the wall beside her, trying to ignore the knot forming in her stomach.

"Yes. I wonder why you are astonished. I told you that I will come back to hear an answer to my proposal." Raising his brows he looked genuinely surprised himself, as if one should take it for completely normal that the biggest baddie ever showed up at their porch twice a day.

"I am, because you also said that I should think about it. I barely had time to do so since you've left…" Elena eyed him warily; she was beyond worried about his appearance only mere hours after the last time, and it didn't help at all that suddenly the memory occurred to her how he had sniffed them out then. What ever it was that he had found out, maybe it was responsible for his return. And Damon was still out there, unprotected…

"Yeah, about that…I changed my mind. You know, I need a new chauffeur, since you have stolen mine…" running his fingers slowly down the door frame, he didn't bother to look at her.

"I'd assume that you have plenty of minions to drive you around. What makes you think that I'd play chauffeur for you?"

"I have my reasons…and substantial arguments." A winning smile settled on his face; he slid his hand into one of his pockets and dragged out a cell phone. Unease spread through her veins at the sight of a cell in conjunction with 'substantial arguments'. She observed him tapping with his fingers on the keypad, a mischievous glint flashing across his features. When he had found what he wanted to show her, he turned the cell into her view, enabling her to watch the display. She gasped when her gaze latched on a photo. A photo of Jeremy and Bonnie, leaving Bonnie's house. Without watching on his cell, rejoicing too much in watching her appalled looking face, he pushed a button and the next photo appeared; this time Tyler and Carol on their way to Carol's car, apparently going to the official event due to the fact that Tyler was in a suit. Elena's mouth dropped open in horror, and the blood coursing through her veins turned into icy shivers. The message behind those photos was obvious; even if they hid mostly in vampire safe houses, he would always be able to find an opportunity to hurt her loved ones. He had her there.

Slowly Elena lifted her head, straightened and glared him in the eyes. She knew this smile on his face; he had worn it during the sacrifice, too. He had won, and he knew it.

She swallowed the knot in her throat and lifted her chin; when she spoke, her voice was hoarse, but fierce. "What do you want? Eat me again? Have I been that tasty?" She refused to show him the extent of fear she was feeling, creeping through every inch of her body.

"I told you; I need a new chauffeur. I invite you to come into my house and spend time with me. That way your family and friends including the elder Salvatore will remain unharmed, for the time being." He gazed at her smiling brightly, as if he had given her a wonderful present instead of forcing her to make the well known awful decision between her and her loved ones. Why did it always have to come down to her or her loved ones?

"You indeed were delicious, but I can assure you, I won't eat you for at least three days. Vervain doesn't affect me much, but I dislike the taste." A hint of disgust flew over his face, then he smirked at her again. "So, this is my proposal. What do you say now?"

Elena considered her options. They were alarmingly few. She could stay and risk the lives of everyone she loved in the course. And she had no doubts that next time he wouldn't just shoot photos… Or she could go with him, risking her own life without the security that he held up his end of the bargain, but stalling time they needed to figure out how to defeat Klaus in the end. He wouldn't kill her, at least not for the next three days; he needed her, and he needed her without vervain in her system. She remembered the day when she had discovered the pages in Jonathan Gilbert's journal where he had written about the originals; they said that the originals were men of honor, and Elijah had said so, too. Yeah okay, he had betrayed them, but in a weird way she still trusted in his words.

And…they still had The Seven…she was aware of the small stone plunged in her pocket; above all she trusted her friends to find a way. They always did.

She looked him straight in the eyes. "Will you betray me as your brother did?"

He threw his hands over his heart. "Ooh, that hurts. How could you compare me to my brother?"

What answer had she expected? She sighed. She thought about Damon; despite the photos on Klaus' cell, he was the one she feared for the most; his life was Klaus' end of the bargain.

He would be so mad at her…

But she had no choice, and Klaus knew it.

She drew in a deep breath and stepped over the threshold.

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><p>.<p>

Damon's mood wasn't as good as at his first stop anymore. The first of several more. Four, actually.

The first stop had led him to a hospital that currently wasn't having a blood bank. After compelling his way through all the building in search for that thing, he finally after nearly 20 minutes heard the sad truth that a water-mains burst had flooded the hospital's basement where the blood bank was accommodated. So the blood bags were stored somewhere else, and no one he asked knew where.

The second stop was at a hospital he was sure even before entering the building that it was too small for having a blood bank.

The third stop was just because he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention when he was on a blood raid; so he stopped when the cops demanded so, just because he was a tiny little bit too fast, getting out of the car, experiencing all that clapping-the-legs-and-hips-for-hidden-weapons before he decided to have enough now and eventually compelled them.

The fourth stop had led him already much farther from Mystic Falls than intended, and his anger had increased with every mile he had to drive to find a hospital with a blood bank in working order. After almost three hours he finally succeeded.

The fifth stop, of course after all those additional miles, had been at a gas station, where he, angry as he was now, decided that paying sucked and compelled the guy at the cash point too.

His courage to talk to Elena had meanwhile vanished into thin air; having a lucky day like today was not a good condition to have a conversation like that. This decision hadn't done anything good to his mood, though. When he came home he angrily flung his jacket on a chair in the hallway and rushed directly to the liquor table in the parlor. Pouring him a double shot, he suddenly noticed that something wasn't right at all. It took him only a few seconds to find out what it was. Something was missing. With enhanced hearing he recognized three hearts beating as those of Ric, Bonnie and Jeremy. Elena's heartbeat wasn't audible. But it really should be. He jerked his head around and blurred over to the study where the others had settled and burst through the door; they all jumped at the sudden noise; they hadn't heard Damon coming home.

"Where is she?" he blurted out as a greeting. Three equally puzzled looking faces stared at him. Ric was the first regaining his composure.

"What do you mean?"

"She's not in the house, Ric. Where is she?" Damon struggled to keep his voice somewhat calm.

It didn't help at all that they exchanged bewildered looks that turned to appalled looks after a few seconds.

"She didn't go anywhere…she… she has to be… somewhere in the house…" Bonnie spluttered, but trailed off when Damon had left the room.

He knew he was right. She wasn't in the house, except if she was…No. She wasn't in the house.

Against better judgment he searched the whole damn house for her, flashing through every freaking room within seconds, meanwhile trying to reach her on her cell phone, which went straight to voicemail; yet he didn't find her. Eventually the only place left was the basement. Tentatively he went downstairs, half expecting to find her lifeless body lying on the floor, throat ripped apart by Stefan as he had done two nights before; but there was nothing. He peered into the cell and saw his brother lying on the bed; he really had cleaned up his cell and repaired the bed where he now was sleeping on.

Damon reeled back in sudden overwhelming desperation until he crashed into the wall; then he blurred upstairs, shoving Bonnie and Ric aside on his way. Not knowing what to do now, where to go, his feet went the most familiar way of their own volition. He found himself standing at the liquor table again, pouring bourbon in a glass; automatically he downed it in one gulp, then he spun around and hurled the glass violently against the wall where it shattered into thousands of pieces.

"She's not here!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

His mind flashed back to the night months ago when he had done the same; only this time it wasn't a blood bag he was throwing and it wasn't about betrayal. This was about being scared to death.

"We'll get her back. You'll get her back." Ric's firm voice was filled with conviction. Damon stood still, teeth gritted, hands clenched to fists. Then he whirled around and glared at his friend.

"How?" he snarled.

"We know where he is this time, don't we?" Ric stepped closer; none of them did even question where she was, everybody knew. "And we have the stones. We'll find a way, and we're close."

Damon snorted. "Yeah. The witches' item. Because I have so much trust in witches…"

"You don't have a choice, Damon. It's your only chance to get her back." Bonnie's voice was calm, although she couldn't completely suppress her concern . "Klaus won't let her out of his sight; he knows that you will try to rescue her. He'll kill you without blinking if you go there on your own, and you know it. This won't help Elena at all."

"Seriously? You're telling me to let her just be with him, with that…monster? No way!" he spat out, starring at her, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"It's the only way, Damon…"

"Right, as if I haven't heard that before…" he snapped.

"And where did that get you to go your own way?" Jeremy stepped in, raising his hands in a soothing manner. "Damon, I want her back as much as you do. But a rash act doesn't help my sister now. He didn't kill her yet…"He swallowed; he didn't want to picture _that_, so he went on rapidly. "He probably had a reason to take her with him…"

"We know the reason, don't we?" Ric chimed in. "He has lost Stefan, so he needs another vampire who had done that blood sharing thing with her for building his race."

Jeremy furrowed his brows. "That's right, isn't it? He needs her blood for a vampire, so it has to be vervain free…"

Bonnie nodded confirming. "That'll give us about three days. That's enough. I have an idea where to look for a special spell…" Announcing this, Bonnie turned toward the study where the grimmoires were still lying, and Ric and Jeremy followed her ungrudgingly.

"You can discuss all you want, but I'm going to Lynchburg and get her out. He doesn't need her. He can use me." Damon said fiercely.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Bonnie spun around and watched him accusingly.

"What?" he glowered at her. "She was dying! She needed it."

"And you fed on her?" Jeremy gaped at him, his face also showing a hint of accusation.

"It was after that fog; my skin was burnt all over, and it didn't heal…I didn't want to, but she practically begged me to do it…" he hissed; why did he even defend himself? It was none of their business. "Klaus doesn't need her, he can use me…" he repeated.

Bonnie eyed him, worry now etched on her face. "Does he know that?"

Damon thought about Klaus' visit that morning and how he had sniffed at them; was he capable of still smelling this? "Maybe…" he admitted angrily.

Bonnie sighed deeply. "Well, that changes the facts; he might use her as leverage then. That means that we have to work faster…." Bonnie turned again to leave the room, but in a flash Damon stood next to her and grabbed her arm.

"You better find something very fast, because I won't wait for long; I'm not leaving her alone with him" he growled, and the fury in his glaring eyes made it very clear that he meant it. He loosened his grip on Bonnie's arm. She shrugged his hand away and he straightened.

"And I'll _so_ kick her ass when I got her…"

.

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><p>.<p>

They sat in that car for two hours now. In the beginning her whole body had been so tensed that it almost had hurt. But now Elena began slowly to relax. She had driven them to Wyndham, a small town close to Richmond, where Klaus now told her to pull over in front of a tiny house. Then he turned to get out of his car.

She spared a glance at him. "You leave me out here? Alone?" she asked him incredulously.

He gave her a wicked grin."Are you afraid someone could come and kidnap you? Don't worry, you're a big girl, nothing will happen to you." A hint of a menace sneaked in his voice. "And you won't run. You're smart. You know what would happen if you made me angry, don't you?"

She closed her eyes for a second, and then she just nodded. He lifted his hand up to her face and trailed his pointer finger down her cheek. She shivered of disgust; noticing her expression, his grin only widened, and then he turned and got off the car.

She watched him walking over to the house, knocking at the door and greeting a young dark-skinned woman who smiled brightly at the sight of the man on her porch; Elena still couldn't believe it that obviously people existed who actually _liked_ him. She thought about Greta, his witch whom her father and brother had died for, and suddenly it hit her. A witch. The woman in the house was a witch.

She got off the car for stretching her legs, still staring at the house. At that the door opened and let both of them out again. They came to the car, both looking at her with a mischievous glint in their eyes that made Elena backpedaling without thinking; yet, she caught the movement after two steps back and stood her ground. She observed the woman attentively, narrowing her eyes, still completely helpless when she raised her hand toward her, chanting a spell. Elena didn't feel anything, but she knew something had changed; only she didn't know what it was.

When the witch was done, she leaned over to Klaus, rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Moving to the car he briefly waved to her, then he turned and addressed Elena.

"Get in the car, my dear. You'll bring us home now." They both got in and Elena started to head to Mystic Falls, even if she knew she wouldn't be home at all today.

.

After a few minutes driving silently, observing the hybrid next to her, she eventually dared to address him. "What was that about?"

He had been engrossed in thought about his delectable future; now he turned to her looking bewildered; for a split second she could see a hint of the human he used to be a thousand years ago. Then the mischievous smile flew on his features and he was all evil werepire again. "Nosy much?" he laughed.

Elena glared at him defiantly. "That witch has cast a spell on me. I deserve at least to hear if I will turn into a frog in the near future" she snapped.

Klaus eyed her, and his amused expression became somewhat admiring; she really _was_ courageous…"Oh dear, we definitely will have some fun together…" he purred, earning himself a furious glare. He sighed exaggeratedly.

"Belle just did me a little favor. She made the vervain in your system coursing through faster, so that your blood will be pure tomorrow night…I have a little thing on my schedule…" he trailed off.

Elena's eyes widened in mortal fright. Her hands gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. "What?" she gasped, losing her drudgingly kept up composure for a moment. "But you said at least for three days…"

He interrupted her, looking lightly rueful. "Yes, I have to admit that I seem to be a little unsteady concerning my announcements today…I didn't want to waste more time than necessary, since your little gang lately seemed to be hell bent to preclude me from doing what I have planned; so I decided to accelerate the process. Maybe I will have another option, but I didn't want to push my luck." He looked at her with sparkling eyes, jumping to another subject as if they just had a friendly girly chat. "Did you like Belle? She's got fire in her belly, hasn't she?"

Elena tossed him a killing glance. Tomorrow night; and her friends didn't know anything about the change of plans…  
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* * *

><p>.<p>

After almost three more hours in the car Elena was getting really tired of driving and found herself relieved when they came to Lynchburg. At one point she recognized the streets and remembered the way to the house Klaus was residing in, but she made sure to not let him realize it.

When they finally entered the house she had to make an effort to suppress a shudder and to not stare at the door leading to the basement, well knowing what she'd find there. The thought of actually having to sleep in this house caused nausea, and she quickly pushed it aside.

She gaped at the vampire in front of her, thinking about other reasons why she didn't want to sleep in this house when she suddenly saw him stopping short and tensing. He tilted his head a little, then amusement settled on his face and he went on strolling to the door Elena knew the living room behind. She followed him tentatively, knowing that he had sensed something.

When she came into the living room it took her only a split second to know what it was Klaus had sensed.

On the couch she had seen sitting a brown haired girl yesterday, now was sitting, his right ankle casually lying on his left knee, a dark haired vampire.

Damon.

Her heart skipped a beat and she gasped. And despite everything going on, despite the fact that she instantly got beyond mad at him for coming here, she felt a familiar tingling spreading through her veins. And as mad as she was at him, as glad was she to see him, to have him near her.

He slowly turned his head now to watch her, and their gazes locked. And in his eyes she saw the battling emotions she was feeling mirrored. They stared in each others equally widened eyes as if everything unsaid had to find its way from eye to eye along their gazes.

A drawling voice interrupted them.

"Mr. Salvatore! Nice to see you again…"

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><p>.<p>

A/N:I know, I said it already, but now I really can't longer uphold the every-two-days-schedule. I'm neglecting everything else, meaning my work and my children above all. I'll try to stick with 3-4 days...

Though, reviews will probably push me to write faster, after all...


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: The last posting before the real S3 starts...are you guys as excited as I am? Sure you are...

Till then, let's just go on with this one!**  
><strong>.

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><p><em>.<em>

**Chapter 18**_  
><em>

_.  
><em>

_There's someone I've been missing_

_ And I think they could be the better half of me_

_ They're in the wrong place tryin' to make it right_

_ But I'm tired of justifying_

_.  
><em>

Come Home by One Republic  
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><p>.<p>

"I can't remember that I ever have been so tired before."

Bonnie pushed the volume on her lap aside and leaned back on the couch, closing her eyes, raising both hands to massage her temples. Jeremy watched her empathetically. "I know what you mean…" he confirmed and rose to his feet, heading toward the kitchen. "I'll make you some coffee…"

"Please! If I drink so much as one drop of coffee I'll turn into coffee myself!" she scoffed; when she noticed Jeremy's lightly irritated gaze she extended a hand in his direction and smiled at him. "Sorry, you just wanted to be nice…I'd rather have you next to me than in the kitchen."

He paced back, grabbed her hand and, sitting down on the edge of the couch, squeezed it gently. "I'd love to say, that you could give it a rest now, but…"

Bonnie cut him off. "It's okay, Jeremy, I'm fine. We're not done yet. I just need a brief pause…"

"You know what you need?" Caroline waltzed in. "Music. Isn't here a stereo somewhere?" She let her eyes wander around the room, but found nothing. "Doesn't matter. My iPod fits just fine. Could be a bit louder, though…" She tugged it out of her pocket, tapped on the keypad for a few seconds and smiled contently when music sounded through the study. She placed it on a small table, danced over to her friend and dragged her up on her feet. "Come on, Bonnie, dance with me; that'll wake you!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes, yet she began hesitantly to dance, and after a few steps she found that Caroline was right. She shoved the table in front of the couch aside, grabbed Jeremy's hand again and pulled him on the makeshift dance floor. Caroline grinned and called for the remaining men. "Tyler, Ric, come over to dance with us!"

They both appeared at the threshold of the study, gaping at the dancing teenagers, and both mouths dropped open in surprise. Caroline laughed a very girlish laughter, danced over to them, took Tyler's hand and pulled him toward the others. "Dance with us, Tyler; I won't take no for an answer…" Tyler looked helplessly to Ric, who shrugged his shoulders, grinning brightly. When Caroline tried to grab his hand, too, he raised it high above his head and laughed. "No thanks. I'm sticking to chaperoning."

Caroline tilted her head briefly and watched him with pity etched on her face. "You don't know what you're missing…" she said; then she whirled away, back to the dance floor, singing along the song emanating from her iPod. She threw her arms around Tyler's shoulders, entwining her fingers behind his head and swaying them both to the rhythm of the music. He couldn't help but relishing the dance with her and laughed in her beaming face.

Alaric stood in the doorframe and watched his…what-ever-they-were-to-him, smiling genuinely but thoughtfully. They still were just a bunch of teenagers; they deserved to have fun, after all. Instead they repeatedly had to deal with life-and-death-issues…When the next song began he started to sing along with it, together with them, emerging a little from the chaperoning…and for a few minutes, he completely forgot about Jenna, Elena, Damon, Stefan, Klaus and whatever problems the world had in store for them…

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><p>.<p>

"May I offer you a drink?" Klaus asked exceedingly polite; only his sparkling eyes told about the joy he felt at the moment.

Damon lifted his hand that was holding a tumbler with amber liquid; they apparently shared their preference for bourbon. "I helped myself."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm exhilarated to have you here; but I'd appreciate to know how you found me." Klaus narrowed his eyes in curiosity; Elena never had confirmed his suggestion that Stefan was at the boarding house and until now, he didn't know about the mind invading they had done to Stefan. She was anxious to uphold this state of knowledge; she held her breath while waiting for Damon's answer.

"I'll always find her." He replied softly, turning to her, catching her eyes again, causing warmth surrounding her heart.

Klaus just nodded, acknowledging that right now he wouldn't get another answer. It was not important to him anyways.

"Then let me ask you something else; why are you here? I'm assuming you're not looking for a bromance" he sneered at Damon, a lurking gaze half heartedly hidden behind the mask of amusement.

Elena stood rooted to the spot and watched both vampires; the one she hated and the one she… did what ever. Damon was walking on dangerous ground; she knew why he was here; but he had to weigh his words very carefully for not giving Klaus any information they didn't want him to get.

Still, Damon had many questionable qualities; he was impulsive, reckless, arrogant; but he was not stupid. "I'm here for her." This time he didn't spare her a look; he evenly glanced at their biggest enemy ever, who was settling down now on an armchair opposite Damon, leaning back, legs stretched out, as if they were chatting about the better way to drink bourbon, with or without ice. "I want you to let her go and take me instead."

Elena gasped. She had expected that, but to hear it spoken out loud made it real, and it made her heart pounding in fear for him. She opened her mouth in an attempt to object, but Klaus was faster.

"How come you always want to change places with people who you think I'm going to kill? Is it your wish to be killed by me?"

"I know this is hard to figure for you, because it's not part of your grand scheme to actually feel anything for anyone. But there are people who are capable of caring."

"There were rumors afloat that you weren't inclined to this weakness; I'm guessing they were wrong…" Klaus gave him a disdained look. Damon frowned briefly; some months ago he had felt the same way …but right now everything fell into place and he knew with sudden clarity that even with the hurt coming along, he wouldn't want to have it any other way anymore. He lifted his head and turned it to Elena; their eyes met, and his gaze was so intense that it made her knees shaking. He placed the meanwhile empty glass on a small table, rose to his feet and paced to where she stood, but in some feet distance away from her he stopped, holding her eyes for a few more seconds, then he turned to Klaus again and stared in his face.

"You don't know what you're talking about" he said firmly, noticing the annoyed look in the hybrid's face, and squared his shoulders. "It's not a weakness; it's the source of strength." From the corner of his eye he saw Elena closing the remaining distance between them; then he felt a small hand slipping into his, and he held it tight. "And I pity you that you don't know this."

They both felt the gashing wind when Klaus blurred right in front of them, his blazing eyes only inches away from Damon's face; neither of them flinched. Klaus breathed in sharply, then he regained his composure, his furious features soothed and the smirk reappeared. Stepping back he raised both hands and clapped them together loudly.

"Applause for this speech! Ah, you Salvatores. Always the knights in their shining armors… What makes you think that I'm interested in letting her go and keeping you?" He cast Damon a piercing glance, but couldn't read anything in his unfathomable expression. He turned his gaze to Elena who lifted her chin and stared back defiantly.

"Why shouldn't you? You obviously could use my brother for what ever purpose you had in mind. Why not me?" Damon challenged.

"Well, first of all because we wouldn't have so much fun together as I had with Stefan…" he let his words lingering in the air, cocking his head, reminiscing about the days with Stefan.

"Yeah, the amazing ripper who almost killed me…" Elena huffed.

He waved it away with an impatient movement of his hand "Collateral damage…"

Damon winced at these words; he had used them so often, and it never had bothered him. However, hearing those words being used for the possible killing of Elena sent shivers down his spine, and he clutched her hand even tighter.

Completely unimpressed Klaus went on, pacing back and forth now, his gaze latched on the floor. "Yes, why not? You could turn out to be useful, at last" he murmured. Lifting his head again he raised his hands, spreading his arms widely, palms up. "Be my guests. Both of you" he announced, a wicked grin back in place.

"No. Just me." Damon stated firmly.

"Give it a try to bring her out of here…" he taunted, smiling brightly. "You know what? I have to take care of something. This will take about an hour, time enough for you to settle in; if you need anything, just have a look in the basement; you'll find … everything you ever dreamt of." Clearly he was referring to the nightmare's ingredients in the cellar, not aware that they knew about it. Elena flushed at the thought what they would find downstairs and her stomach lurched; she was relieved that he was heading to the front door, so he didn't see her reaction, and she was glad about the firm squeeze of Damon's hand on hers.

"See you both later!" Klaus said joyous, and then the front door fell shut with a loud thud. He was gone.

Damon and Elena stared at each other in disbelief. "He let us alone?" she asked bewildered.

"Good for us. Let's go." Damon began to walk to the door instantly, pulling her with him.

She held him back. "Wait, Damon. I'm here for a reason…"

"Yeah, I know, you always have good reasons. And you know what? I don't care." He flashed her a furious glance to intimidate her. Only it never worked with Elena. It just made her angry.

"I know that you don't care. But I do. He came today and showed me photos of Jeremy and Bonnie; and of Tyler and the Mayor…And you were still out, and I didn't know where you were, it was already _four hours_, and I …I had to go with him…to protect you… all of you!" she ranted glowering at him.

"Was it what you meant when you said that you didn't want to be the one who's calling the shots? Who not wanted to go on a suicide mission? Who wanted to work together with me? Working in a team? Yeah, you were right in one thing; I'm stuck in here with you. More precisely: I'm stuck in this house with you if you're not leaving, because I won't let you stay here alone with him." His angry growling turned into an urging tone. "Or we leave now together into the safety of the boarding house and find a way to get rid of him for good."

"And then what?" Elena glared at him with blazing eyes. "He'll send human minions in to kill someone and to take either me or you back to him anyways. He can't afford to lose us both, he needs one of us. One of us has to stay here to prevent that…"

"Then it'll be me…" Damon had enough now. He lifted her up easily and threw her over his shoulder.

Elena gasped when she found herself suddenly staring on his back and slammed her fists against it instantly. "Let go of me! Damon, let go of me!" It was of course a pathetic try against the vampire who rushed over to the front door now. He flung it open and went on leaving the house, when he suddenly jerked to a halt.

"You've got to be kidding me…" he cursed; then he lifted his hand to feel in front of him, but found nothing. His eyes went wide in puzzlement; he let Elena down on her feet again, but kept hold of her hand, stepped over the threshold and pulled her with him.

Except he couldn't pull her hand over the threshold.

Her brows shot up when she felt the barrier at her hand. "What the hell…" she grumbled and raised her other hand to touch along the invisible wall like she had done weeks ago in her own home. It felt the same.

She was trapped.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The dancing break had done them good, and freshly encouraged they went on with their work. They all were hovering over several grimmoires; Jeremy introduced Tyler to reading the ancient letters and signs, and Tyler found it much more interesting than he had thought when he found some spells concerning werewolves.

Caroline, always feeling a little awkward while reading in a grimmoire, decided to dodge it and go down to the basement to check on Stefan. She snatched one of the plastic bottles filled with bunny blood or what ever animal Damon had hunted that morning and went downstairs.

When she peered through the bars into the cell and laid eyes on Stefan she furrowed her brows in dismay. He looked horrible; he sat on the ground and hung head and shoulders; his face was paler than ever and his expression far away from his hey-it's-Tuesday-look. Broody Stefan she was used to; this one was pure desperation.

"Hey" she greeted quietly. No reaction. "Stefan? I brought you something to eat…not the good human stuff, as you might…uh…yeah, of course… you know." No reaction. She inched a little closer to have a better look into the cell and spotted the bottle Damon had left that morning untouched on the floor. He didn't eat.

"You want to desiccate yourself? Bad idea, Stefan. I know the human blood tastes better, but…"

He interjected her, and she jumped a little at the sudden reaction. "It's not the taste, Caroline." His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it for a long time.

Caroline eyed him, and her heart ached in compassion. "What is it, Stefan?" she asked softly.

He remained quiet for a long time, then he whispered: "I'm lost…"

"That's what we're here for. We'll help you to find yourself again." Caroline spoke with firm conviction.

"I've sworn to never do such things again…It took only a few hours to fall for it once more…" Two tears ran down his cheeks silently, leaving glistening traces, dropping down on his legs before reaching his jaws.

"It was Klaus…" Caroline tried to appease, but was cut of fiercely.

"No. He only needed to tempt me and feed me with human blood. The bloodlust came by its own. And the joy I felt in killing…"

Caroline hesitated only for a second; then she blurred upstairs and dragged Tyler on his feet and downstairs. "Close the latch behind me. I'll call you if I need you to reopen it." She gave him a peck on his cheek, grinned about his baffled expression and, before he could object, opened the latch and stepped in. She wasn't afraid of Stefan; he was stronger than her, but she was still a vampire; she just wanted to be sure that he didn't any harm to the others. She heard the sound of the closing latch and then Tyler's tentatively disappearing steps at the edge of her awareness, but focused on the vampire sitting on the cell floor.

She crouched down beside him and gingerly placed her hand on his arm. When he still didn't look up she also settled on the floor, resting her back against the wall next to him, her hand remaining on his arm.

"Look, Stefan, this is a part of you. It will always be. You can fight it all along, it will never leave you completely; everybody has his weakness. I always will be a little shallow and neurotic; Tyler will have to live with anger lurking inside of him; we all have to deal with Elena's stubbornness and that a part of your brother always will be a dick; and Bonnie is so god damned righteous that it hurts sometimes. It's just in us. Your weakness is your reaction to human blood. You haven't chosen that. But you can fight it. And you can count on your friends and your family to help you once you've lost the fight."

Finally Stefan lifted his head to gaze at her. He was surprised about the sincerity in her words; however, he let out an unhappy chuckle. "I have drained dry more than 20 girls in, what, three days? 20 girls like you are, Caroline. They are dead now…"

Caroline sighed deeply. "I know. I saw the bodies…" She shivered at the thought of that picture that she couldn't shake off anymore. "And this is awful. It is, Stefan, I won't lie to you. But you can't change this anymore. It's in the past now. You only can go on fighting to never let things like this happen again. You can start by drinking this." She snatched the bottle Damon had dropped to the floor and held it out to him.

Stefan eyed her intensely, and then he grabbed the bottle, opened it and took a first sip of animal blood. He couldn't help but looking lightly disgusted, but he went on drinking until the bottle was empty. Caroline sat beside him and watched him with relieve; that was good. It was the first step on his way to heal.

When he was done, he screwed the bottle close and reached it to her, a slight smile appearing on his face. "I wonder who had told you that _you_ were shallow…"

Caroline snorted. "Make a wild guess…"

He glanced at her and nodded knowingly. "You're not when it comes down to the important things in life."

Suddenly he frowned. Caroline caught the change of expression. "What's wrong, Stefan?" she asked him cautiously.

He tossed her a rueful glance. "Elena…what I did to her…" His voice was a mere whisper and desperation reappeared in his eyes. "How will I ever be able to look into her face again?"

Caroline flushed lightly when she thought about the last chat she had with her friend this morning. She told him the only words she knew were true. "She is the most forgiving person I know. She will forgive you, too…"

Stefan nodded slowly. "I know that. But she will never fully trust me again…"

Caroline couldn't say anything. They sat in awkward silence for a while; then she took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "I'm here for you when ever you need me, okay?" He nodded without looking at her; he was grateful for her presence and for her friendship. It wasn't the first time that she remembered him at Lexi…

"I'm surprised, but beyond glad that you're thinking clearly again so fast…" she said quietly.

"Yeah," he scoffed, "as fast as I lost my mind. It's like someone had pulled away a curtain lying over me…it's weird." They fell silent again.

After a while he dared to ask. "Is she in the house?"

Caroline swallowed the knot that built up in her throat immediately. "Not right now…"

"Where is she?" Stefan demanded, noticing that she was struck.

Caroline hesitated for a second, and then she braced herself. He needed to know it. "Klaus."

His eyes flew wide open. "Come again?" he said tentatively, leaning slightly forward .

"She went with Klaus…"

He interjected her by jumping up on his feet. "What?" he yelled in horror. "Why?"

"Because he can't use you anymore…" she said. Seeing his bewildered look, she realized that he apparently didn't know what Klaus had wanted to use him for. She inhaled deeply and began to explain. "He needs the blood of a vampire who has willingly exchanged blood with the doppelganger, willingly from both parts, to sire a new race of hybrids. That has been you until we snatched you away from him …and then he came for Elena and snatched her away from us and Damon went to Klaus now and tries to snatch her away from him…" she examined him attentively, half expecting an outburst of anger; but he sat down on the edge of his bed, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Oh my God…" Then he straightened lightly, and Caroline could almost see his mind starting to race.

"How long have I been here now?" he suddenly demanded.

Caroline eyed him curiously. "Since yesterday. Why?"

"Because now that I know what he wanted to do…I'm not quite sure about when, but I do know where it will happen…"  
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"I know where it will happen!"

Three heads jerked up with shock when Caroline suddenly burst in, Tyler hot on her heals. Bonnie tried to calm her racing heart and watched her friend with raised brows. Caroline was beaming, cheeks blushed and eyes glowing in excitement.

"Where what will happen, Caroline?"

"That giving-blood-to-a-vampire-to-make-him-to-a-hybrid-thing!"

Jeremy leapt up and rushed over to the vampire. "You know where? Why?" He grabbed her shoulder, and she saw the worry about his sister flashing in his eyes. She gently cupped his hand with hers to set him at ease. Then she said: "Stefan."

Alaric stood up and came closer now, too. "How is he?"

"Much better. He's thinking clearly again and is ashamed of everything he has done the days he'd been with Klaus. Good old broody Stefan…" she smiled brightly.

Bonnie piped in. "Care, what did he say about this event? Where will it happen then?" she urged.

"Apparently there's a clearing close to the cemetery of Lynchburg in the middle of the wood. It is flanked by an old quarry on the one side with a cave in it. Stefan watched Klaus meeting a woman coming out of this cave there, obviously a witch; they were talking about another ritual, but he couldn't understand more of it; he didn't dare to go closer, because he had followed him secretly, you know? He didn't want to be caught…Anyways, when I told him about that hybrid-race-thing he added one and one together…he says it's the perfect place for it…and he could probably show us where it is…"

"No way; I promised Damon to not let him out, and I intend to keep my promise." Bonnie's voice made it very clear that she wouldn't accept any objection.

"Caroline, he could show you on your iPod" Jeremy suggested.

Caroline nodded. "It's a shame that we can't reach Elena or Damon on their cells. We should have used a wire all James Bond to communicate with them…"

Bonnie stared at her thunderstruck. "Caroline, you're a genius…"

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A/N: So what do you guys think why Caroline is a genius? Review and tell me...


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own anything; If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Sorry, it took a little longer this time. S3 started, and I REALLY needed some time to watch (um...more than once) and to read all those funny recaps...

Thank you for all your wonderful reviews; they are what keeps me writing...

Anyways, here it goes...Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

_Let's go to sleep with clearer heads_

_ And hearts too big to fit our beds_

_ And maybe we won't feel so alone_

_ Before we turn to stone_

_.  
><em>

Turn To Stone by Ingrid Michaelson  
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"What are we doing now?" Elena looked rattled.

"Geez, Elena, that's exactly what you wanted; staying here and waiting for the return of our wonderful host!" Damon shrugged seemingly unconcerned, but his furiously blazing eyes told differently. That was maybe how _she_ wanted it to be, but not at all what _he'_d have chosen. He had intended to take Elena out of the firing line; instead she was bound to the house by a spell, and they were stuck in here, exactly as he had said mere minutes before. Granted, he was able to leave when ever he wanted to; yet, it wasn't a question of whether he wanted or not. He simply couldn't.

He couldn't leave her alone.

So they were stuck in here together.

I won't let you out of my sight anymore. That's what he had said. For a good reason, as it seemed; every single time he hadn't been with her, something had happened, and not only once because she had done something stupid.

And by letting her out of his sight he had failed her. Once more.

He would not let that happen again

Elena watched him, getting more and more disgruntled herself. "Spare me being mad at me, Damon. You would have done the same!" she hissed.

"Seriously? That's what you're thinking?" he asked incredulous.

"If it had been you at the front door with him, and he had threatened me… Look at you! You're here now, for me. So tell me, Damon, where's the difference?" Elena demanded in a challenging tone, lifting her chin defiantly. He stared at her and opened his mouth, taking a breath to object when sudden realization set in; she was right. If the situation had been reversed, he would have done exactly the same.

Elena, Bonnie, Stefan, John, Alaric who always stepped into the middle of every fight to save his friends without thinking twice, and even he himself – they all were members of the same merry little pack of self-sacrificing idiots. _There is someone who will be killed? Hold on, let me take his place!_ What the hell was wrong with them? _I didn't love get in the way_… Yeah, well, obviously it was not only hurt coming along with love…

He watched her thoroughly now, and he could tell that she wasn't just angry; first of all she was frightened, although she hid it well. Her fear made the remains of his own anger fade away within mere seconds; clearly it was different to go with Klaus of her own volition than to be trapped in his house. With her next words her voice faltered unwillingly. "You should go now before he's back; you're not trapped, and there's no need for both…"

"Elena" he interjected, stepping closer to lay his hands on her shoulders. When her gaze dropped to the floor to hide the suddenly brimming tears, he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head again to look her in the eyes. "You're damn right. I would have done the same. And I'm doing it right now. So no, I'm not going away from here. No way in hell I'm leaving you alone. We're in here together. We're a good team, remember?"

"Damon…" she tried to object; this time, however, he cut her off with his lips on hers. It was a brief chaste kiss, but in an instant the flies in her stomach revived vehemently. It ended when she scarcely had realized the touch of his soft lips, but she felt the loss physically and the impact on her feelings left her stunned. "Shut up. I won't leave you" he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. She stared at him; she couldn't have said a word anyways.

And despite her fear for him, she was incredibly relieved that he was there.

With an effort he pulled away and grabbed her hand. "If we have to stay here anyways, we can at least raid his liquor stock…"

.

They settled on the couch; curling her body to a ball, Elena tried to ignore the stinging feeling she got in her stomach thinking of the girl looking so much like her who had sat on this same couch when Elena and Caroline had invaded Stefan's mind. She wondered what had happened to her, and whether she had ended up in the basement…she suppressed a shudder. Still Damon noticed her body tensing a little and threw her a side glance, but didn't ask. He wordlessly handed her his tumbler well filled with Klaus' bourbon, and she gratefully grabbed it and took a gulp.

"What do you think will happen to us?" she asked after a few moments, trying to sound confidently; sadly, she failed. Damon silently studied her face for a while, and then he let out a sigh, grasped her hand and held it securely in his own. When he spoke, she could barely hear him whispering; they didn't know when Klaus would be back again, and he didn't need to hear what they were talking about. "I don't know. He won't kill you; he needs you for creating his hybrids. And I'm quite sure that there will be more hybrid-birth-days in his scheme than only one. I mean, to rule the world he'll need kinda army, doesn't he?"

"But he can use you, too…" she whispered back.

"That's true, but we don't know for sure if he knows that. Anyways, you are the one who can turn any vampire into a hybrid maker…"

When she realized what his words implied, her eyes went wide in shock, and she forgot controlling her voice. "But then…I'm safe here, and you're not at all. Damon, you have to leave!" she urged.

Damon cocked his head and grinned wryly. "We're not having this conversation again, Elena. I'm not leaving you. Look" the next words were whispered again, "Bonnie found some helpful spells; we can take him this time…" he trailed off, frowning. His gaze dropped to the floor and worry appeared on his face.

Elena eyed him alerted. "What is it, Damon?"

"We don't know anything about when and where it will happen." He lifted his head and their gazes met. Suddenly Elena jumped a little when a thought flashed through her mind.

"Yes, I know when. I completely forgot...Klaus said tomorrow night he had a 'thing on his schedule', and therefore he had his witch made my blood becoming vervain free faster. It has to be that hybrid thing." All excited, she forgot once more to hold her voice low, and Damon reminded her of the necessity to whisper with his finger tapping on his lips and then against his ear. Elena nodded and mouthed "Sorry."

"Even if _we_ know, the _gang_ doesn't…" His brows knitted together in concern.

Slowly discerning the meaning of his words, her face turned into a mask of fear. She sat up and turned to face him. "Damon" she pressed, "you need to leave and tell them."

He closed his eyes in slight annoyance about turning the conversation to that subject, again. "Elena," he said, sounding bored, "I. Won't. Leave you."

"Damon" she tried it once more, but he cut her short, grabbing her shoulders; glaring at her angrily, he gave up the effort to control his voice.

"Elena, I can't. Less than ever, knowing that you will be vervain free by tomorrow. Don't you get it? He can compel you to do what ever he wants you to do, and you will even do it with delight if he wants so! He won't kill you, but he can take you away from… us for good. And you might never come back. And if he doesn't want you to be found, we won't have any chance to ever get you back; you saw that when we were trying to find Stefan. And I won't let that happen. I won't leave you." He took a deep breath and calmed down a little, and Elena saw, covered with anger, fear lingering in his eyes. With lower voice than before he went on: "I told you once, and nothing has changed; I can't lose you." His eyes still locked with hers, he loosened his grip on her shoulders and eventually released her. Elena then took his hands in hers and, still holding his eyes, said like back then: "You won't."

Gazing at each other intensely, both felt their hearts fluttering; but suddenly he broke away and straightened up, tilted his head a little and his features soothed to the mask presenting the uncaring vampire. Deciphering the signs, Elena knew what he was about to say before he did it: "He's coming back."

Unknowingly inching closer to Damon, clutching his hand tighter, she was glad not having to be alone with Klaus anymore.

They heard the door flinging open and footsteps entering the house. Damon furrowed his brows, as if he had heard something unexpected; then they heard the hybrid's voice, but he didn't address them. "You won't be stuck out there, no human's living here." There had to be another vampire.

And then they heard the vampire's answer, and it was a voice very familiar to both of them, although for different reasons; they exchanged a stunned look.

"You're residing _here_? Couldn't you find a better foreclosure? You should have made _me_ looking for one…"

Katherine.  
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"Remind me again why _I_ have to do this?" Caroline asked, annoyance evaporating from her.

Bonnie let out a deep sigh; inwardly slowly getting irked, she answered seemingly patient.

"When they were in the intermediate world, I could go myself, because he actually was lying in front of me; I could use a simple spell. Today I have to use a different one, and with this one I have to chant you in and out. Entering a vampire's mind is easier for another vampire, and actually you're…"

"I got it, Bonnie, I'm not stupid. I'm just …kinda unwilling…I mean, this is _Damon's_ mind…he might not want me to enter his crude inner world…Honestly, why can't I go into Elena's head? I'm sure it's much nicer there…"

Jeremy sneaked a glance at the blonde vampire. "Right now I wouldn't bet …" he muttered.

"Caroline, Elena never could manage to hide this from Klaus; Damon can handle that, he's used to hide emotions behind a mask. You don't want to put Elena into danger, do you?" Bonnie pointed out, and Caroline nodded conceding begrudgingly.

Alaric watched them thoughtfully. Bonnie was right; Elena was readable like a book. But Ric wasn't quiet sure about Damon's capability to hide emotions behind a mask…Elena usually made out every single one of the vampire's feelings, and even Ric himself mostly knew what he was thinking of. Hopefully Klaus was at a loss for this ability…

"Let's get it over with! Do you need my blood again, Bonnie?" Caroline was determined now to get this done as fast as possible. When Bonnie nodded, she cut her wrist with the knife Tyler handed her out and let a few drops fall into the bowl Ric was holding. The witch lit the candles with a sole thought, grabbed the bowl from Ric's outstretched hand, added some herbs to the blood and put it on the table in front of her. In exchange for the bowl she grasped a book she had fetched from Damon's nightstand, laid it on her legs and firmly placed the palm of one hand on it. She glanced at the nervous looking vampire.

"I'll give you just a few minutes to avoid putting Damon in danger more than necessary. Stay focused, okay?" Caroline nodded once.

Then Bonnie began to chant.

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><p>.<p>

Both of their heads turned toward the door when Klaus and Katherine entered the room. The werepire's eyes latched on Damon instantly in an attempt to catch his surprise; his gleeful grin, however, turned into a lightly disappointed expression when he realized, that the vampire's face only showed boredom. Letting his eyes wander to the human, all he could detect was a hint of disgust; and he found that not very satisfying either. Turning around to his last option for a successful surprise he was rewarded. Katherine was visibly taken aback.

"You got to be kidding...What the hell are you doing here?" She eyed them suspiciously.

A wry grin appeared on Damon's face. "We're playing house. Wanna join us? We still need a baby..."

Within mere seconds Katherine had regained her composure. Turning toward Elena, she smirked: "What a nice idea. As I can see you have already your lap dog..."

Elena made a face at the world's most hated doppelganger; although she had to admit that part of her was grateful. She had brought the cure, and she didn't have to. For once she had been selfless, and Elena didn't wish her to be dead right now. But she had definitely been good with Katherine's disappearance after her last entrance during _that night_; she really had hoped having got rid of her for good. Apparently it wasn't granted to her. Crap.

"Seriously. What are you doing here?" she snarled at her spitting image.

Katherine opened her mouth to answer, but she didn't say a word. Instead her expression changed from smirking to bemused; Damon chimed in with helping words.

"You can't say, can you?" Katherine just gaped at him. Damon turned lightly toward Elena.

"Compelled" he said matter-of-factly. He cocked his head and addressed their host. "Where did you find her now?"

Klaus had followed their short banter almost like a father watching his children; he obviously enjoyed their reunion. "Oh, not now. I found her already three days ago; she was not yet far away…and today's possibilities are much more productive than 500 years ago…" He raised his hand to Katherine's head and ran his fingertips down her face from her temples to her jaw line; Katherine tried to avert any reaction, refusing to give Klaus the pleasure of scaring her; yet, Damon could see the goose bumps on her bare arms in a distance of ten yards.

Klaus turned to Damon, smiling wickedly, now paying him full attention. "I'm amazed to still find you here, Mr. Salvatore; I had the impression that you wanted to leave?"

"Oh, I changed my mind. It seems to be a day for it…"

Elena suddenly felt his body getting rigid for a split second; she knew something had happened, and she watched him curiously. Damon turned his face to her, catching her gaze for a second, and from the glow in his eyes she could tell that it seemed to be something good happening to him. He gave her hand that still was linked to his a squeeze and smiled at her nearly imperceptibly; leaning back on the couch, he finished off his shot and held his empty glass out to Klaus.

"But I will leave if you carry on neglecting your guests like that…"  
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It was different than last time; Caroline felt immediately a pull like from a very strong magnet, and within seconds she found herself in Damon's mind. It was somehow brighter than his brother's mind had been, although she could not see through his eyes what he saw, and unexpectedly she felt much better than in Stefan's mind; first of all she surprisingly wasn't scared at all. Yet, she had no time to think further about the difference; apparently she hadn't come unnoticed. She felt his attention almost the same moment on herself when she had entered. Thinking about Bonnie's last words, she decided to cut to the chase.

"Uh, Damon?"

"Barbie?" He sounded puzzled, but by far not as puzzled as she had expected, and when he went on, his voice was composed.

"So Judgy found a way to communicate. Good girl. Listen, Blondie, Klaus has trapped Elena with a spell in his house in Lynchburg. I stay here with her. Klaus had a witch made Elena's blood becoming vervain free by tomorrow night. The hybrid siring will happen then, but we don't know where."

At that Caroline piped in. "But we know" she said, and she couldn't completely hide the pride in her voice. "It will be on a clearing with a cave nearby, close to the cemetery of Lynchburg." When Damon didn't comment that news, she explained: "Stefan told me."

She felt more than she heard him breathing in sharply, and then he asked softly: "How is he?"

Caroline instinctively tried to reach out to gently lay a hand on his arm; when she realized that this wasn't going to work, she laid her compassion in her voice. "He thinks clearly again. He's ashamed…about…"she trailed off; Damon knew what she was talking about anyways. "But he drinks the animal blood" she added. They fell silent for a moment before Damon addressed her again.

"You did well, Caroline." She felt herself flushing; _was that even possible? Could she flush in someone else's mind?_

She felt a light pull back, and she assumed that Bonnie tried to chant her out again. "Is there anything else, Damon? How are you?"

He noticed that she was speaking faster now, so he answered quickly. "We're okay. Oh, Klaus has Katherine; he brought her here, too. But we have no clue for what purpose she is here. Maybe he intended her to be the vampire to do the blood sharing with Elena…which is not anymore necessary now that he has me…."

"Damon, I have to go. We will be there tomorrow. This time we'll take him." Her firm voice was already fading away when he heard her adding: "I'll try to come again tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay" he quickly confirmed having heard her last words. And then she was gone.

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Somehow they passed the night.

At one point, Klaus had left them alone again, probably going on a blood bender or a tearing-innocent-victims-limb-from-limb-tour. He had compelled Katherine to stay put; knowing that Elena couldn't leave the house either, he relied on Damon to stay, too. And if not…he didn't really care; he didn't need them both anyways.

Damon had tried to find out if Katherine knew anything they didn't know yet, but it had been pointless; she obviously had been compelled to forget.

After an exchange of meaningful looks they now decided not to let her staying in the dark; she ought to know what was coming up to all of them. The simple fact that Klaus had to compel her to obey made it very clear that what ever his plan was, Katherine wouldn't be pleased about it. Their efforts to deter Klaus from siring more hybrids, however, they kept to themselves; they didn't consider her as trustworthy enough to give her information of such an importance. But with the length of experiences made throughout five centuries running from Klaus, she sensed it that they were keeping secrets from her.

"So what's the plan?" she asked in a deliberately casual manner, curling a streak of her hair around her finger, looking from Damon to Elena and back to Damon. When neither of them answered, she sighed exaggeratedly.

"Honestly, guys, we're in that state again? Spill, what are you hiding from me? You can trust me." She eyed Damon expectantly; if she would ever get an answer, then it'd be from him.

Elena snorted. "Yeah, because your so reliable."

Damon rose from the couch and sauntered to the sideboard the bottle of bourbon was placed on. "What are we supposed to do, Katherine?" he snapped. "He's a hybrid. Immortal. Literally, not the way we are. So what kind of a plan could we possibly have?"

Katherine stood up from the armchair she had been sprawled on and blurred over to Damon. Leaning forward, bracing her hands on the sideboard, her face only inches away from his, she snarled: "You always have a plan. Mostly it fails, but don't tell me you're so god damn calm because you believe in fate and take it as it comes. We're playing the same play on the same stage. I brought you the cure. What else do you need as prove that I'm on your side?"

Without blinking Damon poured bourbon in his tumbler, took a draft and replied evenly. "Yeah, right. And as soon as it gives you any benefit, you will switch sides again and stake us without batting an eye. Besides, even if we trusted you…"

"…and we really don't…" Elena cut in from the couch.

"…don't forget about the little inconvenience that he's compelling you. So no, no plan."

Katherine pushed herself away from the sideboard, paced back to her armchair and slumped on it again, muttering something under her breath that Elena didn't understand.

.

They passed the rest of the night in a small, obviously uninhabited room they had found by searching in vain anything to eat other than blood bags, which they had found plenty of in the fridge; neither of them wanted to stay with Katherine, and there was a bed where they could at least rest with a little more comfort than on the couch.

Damon threw himself on the bed as soon as the door was shut. Laying on his back, folding his arms under his head he smirked at Elena. Lightly embarrassed she sat down on the edge of the bed.

This was ridiculous. They had been sleeping in one bed every night since _that night_, and now she was sitting here and didn't dare to crawl in. Still, in the other nights it had been different. First he had been cured just minutes before and still had been so close to death. The next night she had nearly fallen asleep on the sofa, and he wanted to lay her in one of the guest rooms, what she couldn't have born that night; but she had practically been asleep already. The third night she had fallen asleep on the couch again, and this time he had made the mistake to lay her in Stefan's bed; but they had ended up in one bed in Bonnie's guest room because she had been injured. And the next night she had been attacked by Stefan again and in shock. There always had been special circumstances that had led to sharing one bed. This time, it was a deliberate decision. And she couldn't bring herself to make it.

Damon observed her expression, and he could easily picture what was going on in her mind.

This was ridiculous. Only some hours ago, he had decided to finally talk to her. He had felt good with this decision, had had a little hope. Then all the hell had broken loose once again. He'd barely had the time to blink, let alone to talk to her. Now they had the time, and they were alone and for once not fighting. And he couldn't bring himself to do it.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed they were supposed to share, obviously feeling awkward about this situation. He sighed and decided to make it easier for her. He hauled himself in an upright position and leaned against the bed-head.

He reached for her and said in a low voice: "Come here, Elena. I have to tell you something." When he noticed her anxious expression, he added: "Something good." Making the well known signs of tapping against his ear and then pointing in the direction they knew Katherine to be, he softly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her lightly closer.

Relieved that the decision has been taken away from her, for now at least, she immediately hopped on the bed, sitting right next to him, leaning her head toward him to give his voice better access to her ear.

Whispering merely hearable again, he reported about Caroline's visit. With gleaming eyes she gazed at him when he told her that the gang now knew about when and where the hybrid siring was planned. Then she frowned.

"How do they know where it will be?" she whispered bemused.

Damon swallowed down the knot in his throat. She had a right to know it. But frankly, right now he'd have preferred not to tell her that Stefan was on his way to become Saint Stefan again…He wanted her to be happy, but…But.

"Stefan" he simply said. He narrowed his eyes in expectation of her reaction; Elena stared at him, eyes wide open, waiting for more information. Damon inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. "Barbie said he thinks clearly again. And…he drinks bambi blood…" Bracing himself for her beaming face, he opened his eyes and cast a glance at her. He was surprised when he saw her paling and appalled looking face. _What the hell_…

"Elena?" he said quietly. Then he saw tears welling up in her eyes. Tears of relief? No, relief looked different. It looked more like…desperation. _What? Why?_

He gently laid a hand on hers. "What's wrong, Elena? Tell me" he said softly.

Elena shook her head fiercely

How could she explain this? She didn't quite understand it herself.

Damon shifted; he tucked up one leg to be able to turn toward her; he reached out for her face with his hand and turned it to him, but she averted her eyes. He raised his other hand and cupped her face with both hands now.

"Elena, look at me" he said gently, but firmly. When she still didn't look at him, he caressed her cheek and tried it once more. "Talk to me, Elena…" At that, she gazed at him, and two tears ran down her face when their eyes met.

When she finally spoke, her voice cracked lightly. "What am I supposed to do now, Damon?"

"What?" Taken aback, his brows shot up and his eyes went as wide as hers were. "What do you mean?"

"Everybody thinks I'm beyond happy now. Having him back, that's what I wanted all along, wasn't it?" She tried to hide the sob behind taking a breath.

"Wasn't it?" Damon asked cautiously.

"Yes. Yes, it was. It is." She paused, not knowing how to explain her feelings without making him hope. "A lot has changed during the last days. Just four days, but so much has happened…" she trailed off. His hands glided from her cheeks down over her shoulders and arms to her hands, and he took them gently in his own to give her the obviously needed support. Although he wasn't sure if he still wanted to hear what she was about to say.

"If he thinks clearly now, he will be terribly ashamed about everything he has done. It will pain him. And he knows that we have seen the girls in the cellar. And what he has done to me…" The pictures of both attacks flashed through her mind, and sobbing she broke off, overwhelmed by the suddenly reappearing fear she had felt during both attacks. Damon couldn't help any longer but securely enveloping her with his arms. In his embrace Elena calmed down fast. She was safe.

After a while she pulled back, letting him take her hands. She had to say it now, but she averted his eyes. "He needs me now. He needs my forgiveness." Damon nodded knowingly.

Elena knew she hadn't said what she really meant; she tried it again while the tears streamed down her face. "He needs to _feel_ my forgiveness. He needs me to trust him like I did before…He needs me to be with him…" She couldn't go on anymore; the sobbing took away the breath she needed to speak. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears from falling. After a few moments she took a shuddering breath, bracing herself to go on. She lifted her head to gaze him in the eyes now.

"And I'm scared that I can't do this anymore. That I can't give him what he essentially needs from me. My trust. I'm afraid, that I don't trust him anymore and that I never fully will again." There was more, but she didn't know if she really could tell him that now. With Stefan thinking clearly again, everything had changed. Yet she had to say at least a part of it…"And I don't know, if it really matters, because I don't know, if my love for him still is strong enough…" Despite her effort to stop the tears, they kept spilling even more than before. She thought about her chat with Caroline, but right now, she neglected everything she had learned then. "And…no matter what I'm feeling…I have to be there for him. I can't leave him…I can't…" She broke off; the growing lump in her throat deterred her from speaking.

Damon felt the tiny ray of hope he had kept in his heart fading away. He had known it all along, but to hear it now made it…real. He let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding. There was nothing he could have said. Instead he took her in his arms again and held her tight until the falling of tears finally ceased. Although it hurt, it was what they both needed.

After a long while he said: "I think we should try to get some sleep. Do you want me to settle on the armchair over there?"

Elena pulled back to look him in the eyes, and a wry smile lit up her face a little. "Don't be ridiculous" she chuckled, and, still clinging to each other, well aware of the fact that this could be the last time, they managed to slip into a lying position. "This is exactly like I wanted it to be" she murmured under her breath, glad that at least this decision had been spared her; but he of course heard it and grinned lightly, and he couldn't help but letting the slightest glimmer of hope in again...

And despite everything she had said, despite the girls' bodies in the cellar, despite the vampire in the living room, despite the werepire on a blood bender or worse, and despite the fact that they had planned to kill said werepire tomorrow, lying in a tight embrace, they fell asleep within mere minutes.

Sharing one bed for the fifth time in five nights.  
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><p>.<p>

A/N: I'm a little insecure about that chapter; tell me what you think about it...

More action is coming soon...;-)


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers for the encouraging words; you're pretty awesome!

Here now, as promised, a little more action...

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

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><strong>

_The time has come_

_ Let us be brave_

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><em>

The Weight Of Us by Sanders Bohlke

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><p>.<p>

It was utterly quiet at the boarding house.

Tyler sat at the desk in the study, holding a tumbler filled with Damon's best bourbon, hovering over one of the grimmoires. He was the only one left; everyone else had chosen to get some sleep in one of the guest rooms before returning to their work the next day in just a few hours.

Only Tyler had been so fascinated by the spells about werewolves that he'd stayed awake to learn more about it, blissfully ignoring Caroline's discontent.

He still didn't understand very much of what he was reading, but he noticed that he was getting better with each spell. Every now and then he gulped down a swig of bourbon, carelessly refilling the glass when it was empty.

After nearly two more hours he was getting tired, too; he rubbed his eyes and briefly massaged his temples, deciding to read one last spell and then join Caroline, although he did not really know how to behave toward her. Nothing had changed; he still didn't know where he stood with her.

He began to read the spell; he couldn't decipher the meaning of the first three words, but he understood instantly the next few ones, and his body went rigid. When he went on reading, he got more and more agitated; he jumped to his feet and went over to grab some of the other grimmoires for help to translate the words as Jeremy had shown him. He finished off his bourbon and forgot to refill the tumbler. His cheeks blushed slightly in excitement. After half an hour, the work was done. And he couldn't believe it.

Eventually he noted the emptiness of his glass, refilled it and downed it in one gulp. Then he decided to wake up Bonnie.

He sneaked upstairs; he didn't know in which one of the guest rooms Bonnie was sleeping and just wanted to start with looking behind the first door when he heard Jeremy snoring; he grinned lightly, pleased about knowing something to tease Jeremy with; then he opened the door and tiptoed to the bed. Bonnie was a light sleeper; he only needed to give her shoulder a light touch, and the very next moment she sat upright, her heart racing.

"What the hell…Tyler?" she hissed.

Tyler laid his finger over his lips, nodded and signaled her to come with him. Bonnie suppressed a yawn, rubbed her eyes and rose from the warmth of her bed to follow him.

Entering the study, she grumbled annoyed:"This better be good…" Tyler turned to watch her, and she raised her brows at the sight of his excitedly gleaming eyes.

"You found something…" she said, and Tyler nodded, smiling brightly.

"Yes, I think I found something."

.

Bonnie held her mug filled with steaming coffee with both hands to warm them. She sat curled up on a couch in the parlor, snuggled in a blanket; for the first time ever as far as she remembered, with Damon gone and Stefan captured in the basement, the fireplace in the boarding house had gone cold, no one had thought about keeping the fire burning. Tyler had ignited a new one, but it wasn't warming yet.

Still, Bonnie felt marvelous. Her eyes shining as Tyler's, she considered aloud what to do next.

"It's great that you found it, and you did just in time; in the morning it would have been too late as this potion has to be prepared at least 12 hours before using. Well, we need your blood, and Caroline's again; and we'll need wolfs bane as well…"

Tyler interrupted her nodding. "I got some at home; I use it to weaken me, too, on the full moon, you know…I'm gonna go get it as soon as I have given you my blood."

Bonnie placed the mug on the small table in front of her and began to unwrap herself from the blanket. "I think we should wake Caroline at first."

Tyler, still standing at the fireplace, raised his hand to stop her. "Stay. I'll go." He went upstairs and came back mere minutes later, Caroline right behind him.

Bonnie had fetched a bowl meanwhile, and she started right away to take some blood from the vampire and the werewolf and to mingle it with a little water.

Caroline watched the small wound in her palm healing. "Alaric should bring his weapons to see what fits with this issue…" She cut off when she noticed Tyler's thoughtful looking face. "What is it, Tyler? What do you have in mind?"

He ran his fingers through his hair and tilted his head before he answered, hesitantly narrowing his eyes. "Maybe…see, I have… uh …kinda blowpipe at home…" his face was getting crimson. When Caroline pinned him with her gaze, he went on, looking completely abashed. "Jules gave it to me, as possible protection against…vampires… "He trailed off.

Caroline tossed him a killing glance. "You mean that thing this Brady-guy tormented me with?" she growled.

Tyler threw his hands up in the air in a defensive gesture. "Hey, I never intended to use it. But honestly, Care, I didn't know what expected me here; I mean, you hated me when I left Mystic Falls…"

Caroline snorted, but her features soothed. He was right; and it was probably a good thing to have it now. "Get it here, too. We'll have a closer look at it then" she instructed him.

Bonnie finally pushed the blanket aside and strolled over to the kitchen. "I'm going to make something for breakfast. Go and wake up Jer and Ric, Caroline. There's still a lot to prepare today…"

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><p>.<p>

When the night fell they arrived at the clearing.

The very first thought occurring to Elena's mind was that obviously Klaus had a preference for clearings with adjoining quarries. Then she discovered the reason for his choice; leading into the stony wall, there was the entrance of a cave, well hidden behind some bushes. She never would have spotted it if not at the moment of their arrival someone had exited it.

Lit only by the flare of several fires, she instantly recognized the woman as Belle, the witch who had cast the spell on her to fasten the leaving of vervain out of her system; not to mention the trapping spell that was lifted when dusk set in. The witch's eyes were shining brightly in excitement; clearly she was looking forward to the events coming up tonight.

Sashaying over to Klaus she greeted him with a voice like velvet. "There you are, finally..."

"Hello, my lovely" he replied, and a shiver ran down Elena's spine; the memory was still vivid in her mind of hearing him say the same words addressed to her, Jenna and Jules. Raising his hand he laid his palm on the witch's cheek, running it down to her neck and let it rest for a moment. A wide smile spread over her face. Elena thought about what the voice in the intermediate world had told them about the witch who had fallen in love with Klaus and enabled him to break the curse. …_even a witch in love does stupid things_… yeah, obviously not for the last time…Tossing a side glance to Damon standing right next to her, she could see in his face that his thoughts were akin to hers.

Belle turned toward them now and paced over. Sparing only a brief glance at the two vampires, she moved closer to Elena and grasped her chin, tearing her face up and closer to her own, gazing her deep in the eyes as if searching for something. Elena felt Damon stirring lightly. With a fast motion the witch raised her other hand to the human's face, and suddenly Elena felt a twinge on her cheek; she gasped, jerked her head back and saw a knife blinking in Belle's hand. The same moment Damon leapt toward the witch; Belle held her hand up in defense, and the vampire flew backwards through the air, crashing against a tree standing a few yards away from them.

In a flash he stood at her side again, but didn't attack anymore; Belle was done anyways, let go of Elena's chin and folded the knife up to plunge it in her pocket; then she raised her hand up to the wound she had cut and caught a drop of the spilling blood with her pointer finger. Balancing this single drop on her outstretched finger she sauntered over to Klaus and held it up to his mouth. Klaus leaned down to her hand and licked it up, his eyes sparkling with delight.

"Mmmh, I remember…and vervain free at that, thanks to Belle…" he purred, moving closer while casting a lascivious glance to Elena. She stiffened and was glad when she felt a strong hand grabbing hers. Klaus' gaze skimmed over their hands and his lips tugged up in a wide smile.

"Mr. Salvatore, what shall I do with you now? Let's see if you serve the purpose as I have planned…" With a wave of his hand he signaled the witch to come back; then he held his hand out, mock apology appearing on his features now, Belle's knife suddenly blinking in his other hand, wordlessly calling on Damon to lay his arm in the waiting hand to give him access to his wrist. However, Damon refused; he simply couldn't bring himself to do just like that what Klaus had asked for. He glared him in the eyes and straightened a little.

The very next moment Klaus moved in a flash, and a piercing shriek sounded through the clearing. Damon jerked around in an instant, crashing into Klaus' side, yanking his arm away from Elena; then he turned to her and watched in horror the bleeding wound on her shoulder where the werepire had stabbed her.

"Elena…" his voice cracked; he reached up, gently tearing her shirt over the wound to have a better look at it. Blood was oozing out, but relieved he realized that it was not too much; the wound was deep, but hadn't pierced an artery. He looked up, examining her face for signs of a shock, but didn't find some. "I'm sorry…This is my fault…"

She cut him off. "I'm fine, Damon. You haven't done anything wrong. I would have done the same."

Before he could reply, he felt a dashing wind and Klaus stood right next to them again, only inches away from Damon's face, clutching Elena's arm, his face looking even-tempered. Damon stood his ground; invading people's private sphere was no foreign concept to him. Yet, this time he laid his arm on the hybrid's outstretched hand, letting some of his blood drip into the small bowl Belle was holding after Klaus had cut his wrist.

Belle strode to a fireplace and poured the blood in a kettle hanging on a tripod over the fire. She stirred with a spoon whatever was in the kettle, and then she took some of the liquid out and put it back into the small bowl. She added something what looked like herbs; when dense smoke soared above the bowl she smelled on it, glanced at Klaus and nodded.

Klaus turned toward Damon, a joyous grin back in place. "That's what I thought. Does your brother know that you both shared your blood by choice? I'd assume he wasn't happy…"

Damon smirked back. "Jealous?" he mocked.

Without taking notice of Damon's answer, Klaus moved around them, joining the third vampire on the clearing, standing unusually quiet a few feet behind Damon and Elena.

"Katerina" he addressed her with a gentle voice, curling a strand of her hair playfully around his finger. "You are so quiet tonight…If I didn't know better I'd say you are scared…Tell me, are you scared, Katerina?" He cocked his head and smiled fatherly.

Katherine glared at him, but Elena could see the fear lingering underneath. She wondered briefly if she looked the same; she at least had still hope to defeat Klaus tonight, knowing their friends somewhere out there; her doppelganger didn't know that.

Squaring her shoulders Katherine made an effort to push her fear aside. "What do you want from me?" she demanded in a challenging voice, but her eyes faltered lightly with his next words.

"Oh Katerina, I have planned great things for our future together…" A wicked grin replaced the smile.

A shiver ran down her spine when he trailed his fingertips along her bare arm to her hand; still on the outside she remained unshaken, raising her chin defiantly and speaking firmly. "You make me curious."

A mischievous glint flickered over his features. "Tell me, what would you think about being a hybrid?"

Elena gasped, and she felt Damon tensing; turning their heads toward each other, their eyes met, each of them expressing the same feeling – horror. Unknowingly they inched closer, their hands entwining again.

They had known that Klaus wanted to sire more hybrids, but they never had thought about knowing any of them. They were supposed to be their enemies, meant to be killed. Surprisingly both didn't want to picture Katherine as what she inevitably would become to them as a hybrid; maybe the recent appearing of shades of humanity, manifested not only by the selfless act of bringing the cure, made the difference between wanting and not wanting to see her dead.

Katherine's eyes widened in shock; then a strange mixture of disgust and fear flew over her face before she regained her composure. "Why would you turn me into a hybrid? What would be your benefit?"

"Oh,"Klaus smiled brightly, "we will spend time together, hunt together, do everything together…everything that _I_ want to do."

"So I'd have to do what you wanted me to do? I'd lose my own will?" Katherine asked him, her voice not fully in control.

Klaus voice hardened. "Yes. No more choices. You have made one choice too much 500 years ago."

Katherine's face paled. "So I'd be your puppet on a string…why not just compel me? Wouldn't it be the same effect?"

"Not exactly. We will have much more fun together as hybrids…besides, I need you to never be able to escape anymore, by taking vervain for instance…" The hybrid objected lowering his voice. "See, I need you to completely obey my instructions to lead my first pack…" He snapped his fingers toward Belle.

She nodded with gleaming eyes and turned to enter the cave. After a while she came out again, and for the second time within mere minutes Elena gasped.

Led by the witch, staring with blank eyes, following the smiling woman like ducks in a row, ten young humans exited the cave.

The third one had familiar short, blond hair and blue eyes.

Matt.

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><p>.<p>

"Are you sure that we are out of earshot?" Bonnie asked whispering.

Caroline nodded firmly. "Yes. Bonnie, it's nearly a mile air-line distance. Not even a vampire's hearing is that enhanced…"

"Okay then, let's do it here." Bonnie handed Caroline the knife, lit the candles she had placed on the ground, put herbs in the bowl and let the vampire's blood drip in. Placing the bowl on the ground she grabbed Damon's book and chanted Caroline into Damon's mind.

They watched her in silence until Bonnie chanted her out again.

Caroline's eyes popped open, her face instantly taking on a distraught expression. "He has Matt!" she blurted out.

"What?" Four appalled looking faces showed that the vampire had drawn their attention. Alaric leaned a little forward, laying a hand on Caroline's arm. "What does that mean, Caroline?"

Tears welled up in her eyes; she swallowed and bit them back. She had no time to cry now. "Klaus has kidnapped ten humans to…turn them into hybrids…will-less monsters…and Matt is one of them. They are compelled…" A sob escaped her mouth despite her effort to suppress it. Tyler stepped over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Do you know how he'll do this? What he will do to Matt?" he asked quietly, trying to comfort her by stroking her back.

Caroline drew in a deep breath to calm down. "At first he has to turn them."

Jeremy stared horrified at her. "You mean force-feed them with vampire blood and then…" He broke off; he couldn't bring himself to speak it out loud.

"And then kill them." Caroline finished the sentence, and then she added, turning to Bonnie: "We have to go there fast now."

Ric backed her. "Yeah, as soon as possible; before he kills them" he urged. "Bonnie? Can you cast the spell to mask us now?"

Bonnie nodded. "It's a simple spell; but remember that it will last only about one hour." When everybody nodded acknowledging, she closed her eyes, focused on the four persons in front of her and herself, raised her hands and soundlessly moved her lips. When she was done after a short while, she turned toward Tyler and eyed him questioningly. He sniffed a few times, his nose up in the air, turned to Caroline and sniffed at her neck, stepped to Jeremy and did the same; then he looked at Bonnie. "Nope. Nothing to smell."

Alaric reminded them: "Nobody can sense or smell us now; but they can still hear us; so we have to be extremely quiet. I hand you the weapons out now. Tyler, these are the darts for your blowpipe. I changed the needles, they are as fine as possible now; he most likely won't feel it or chalk it up to a punkie… If we can trust the grimmoire, one will be enough. You just have to hit him." He distributed his weapons to his history students, snorting silently at the thought that this certainly was the eeriest excursion students ever had made with their teacher…

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><p>.<p>

"Matt!" Elena cried out loud and started to rush over to him; Damon, a little distracted by Caroline in his mind, tried to hold her back, but she shrugged him off, so he followed her. When Elena had reached Matt, she hugged him fiercely. He didn't stop his movement at all; Elena stumbled and fell, but Damon caught her easily before she hit the ground. As soon as she stood on her feet again, she went behind Matt and tried to cut him off while walking; when he kept on moving seemingly unimpressed, she laid her hands on his chest and tried to shove him back; unperturbed going on, he forced her with his body to step backwards. Before she could stumble again, Damon snatched her out of Matt's way and held her tight.

"Matt!" she shouted again, but he didn't react; she fought to get free, but Damon held her even tighter.

"Elena" he said softly, but firmly. "You can't help him now" he whispered in her ear, emphasizing the last word; she understood and stopped fighting. Not now. Later.

"Have you seen his eyes?" She emitted a stifled groan .

He nodded. "Yes. They are compelled, but they are aware of everything…this freaking bastard…." he muttered.

"He can hear you, Mr. Salvatore." Klaus sauntered closer, grinning amused, as if they were watching a funny film together.

"What will you do to him, to them?" Elena yelled, fighting again to get free, but Damon tightened his grip. He turned her toward him, holding her at both upper arms, and forced her to look into his blazing eyes. When their gazes met, he spoke fiercely in a low voice. "Calm. Down." He stared her in the eyes until he felt the tension in her body ceasing; then he wrapped his arms around her securely.

"To answer your friendly question: I will kill them. After they have drunken the blood of those who will lead them and who they have to obey. Katerina's and mine, that is." He clearly enjoyed it to tell them these details.

Katherine still stood silently in the background where Damon and Elena had been standing until some minutes ago. She glared at Klaus, but said nothing.

Now Klaus took a few steps in her direction, held out his hand and called on her. "Katerina, come closer, please."

Tentatively Katherine stepped toward him, ignoring his outstretched hand, disgust appearing in her eyes when she looked at the hybrid. When she reached him he grabbed her hand, but she squirmed free instantly. A hint of anger flew over Klaus' face for a split second, and then the grin fell back in place.

"Enjoy your last disobediences…Come on, let's feed them." He pointed at the humans with a wave of his hand and let her lead the way.

Standing face to face with the first young man in the line the humans had formed, she remained unmoving, her face a stony mask.

"Feed him" Klaus instructed her, clearly not expecting any resistance. Yet, Katherine didn't move; apparently she was not compelled to do everything he told her.

He grasped her arm and lifted her wrist up to her mouth, but she squeezed her lips shut. Klaus didn't hesitate for a second; in a fluent movement he dragged Belles knife out of his pocket, unfolded it and cut Katherine's wrist; the next second he slammed it against the young human's mouth and ordered: "Drink." And the man swallowed her blood, eyes wide with fear and disgust.

Katherine didn't fight anymore; she knew it was futile. They went along the line, feeding each one of the humans with vampire blood.

Elena and Damon stood aside and observed helplessly the ceremony, hatred and despair in their eyes in equal measure. When it was Matt's turn to be fed, Elena whimpered: "Matt, no." Katherine turned her head lightly in their direction, a hint of regret and even an apology detectable in her face. When Klaus held the vampires wrist at Matt's mouth, two tears spilled out of his eyes; he was the only one of the humans who knew what this was all about, and he most likely was scared to death.

While Klaus released Katherine of his grip after having fed all of them and began to feed the humans with his own blood, not bothering to use the knife but biting in his wrist instead, Belle sauntered to him and grabbed the knife. Holding the small bowl in the other hand she came to Damon, cut his wrist and let his blood ooze into the bowl again. Elena felt him tensing, but he didn't fight; it was pointless anyway, and he knew it.

Katherine had joined them, and for the very first time Elena didn't feel uncomfortable to be so close to her; right here and right now, they were allied, and this feeling seemed to be mutual. They watched Belle preparing the potion; first she added a handful of what looked like earth to Damon's blood and mingled it with water; after hanging a clean kettle on the tripod, she poured the bowl's content in it. She stirred the liquid until it boiled, and then she fetched a small vial from the cave, obviously filled with blood, probably Klaus' blood, and mixed it with the bubbling potion, meanwhile murmuring words they didn't understand.

It was then when Elena suddenly was distracted by a guts wrenching sound – the sound of a breaking neck.

Klaus was done feeding the humans and, after delightedly watching the witch for a while, had started to take the next step on the way to sire new hybrids; and he did it fast. They had barely realized what he was doing when two men lay already on the ground, and the next one to follow was Matt.

"No! Matt!" Elena's desperate cry sounded over the clearing and into the wood. The very next moment she felt a dashing wind; both vampires blurred across the glade. Damon yanked Klaus' hands away from Matt's head, and Katherine hauled the boy aside. In a flash Klaus had Damon pinned against a tree, pushing his windpipe shut with one hand.

Elena flew toward them, desperately screaming. "Damon! No! Stop, Klaus, let him go!" She grabbed the knife from a log where Belle had placed it and pointed it at her stomach, ready to stab herself, when she suddenly heard a calm voice and spun around.

"You better listen to her, Klaus. Let him go."

In the middle of the clearing stood a dark haired girl with blazing eyes.

Finally.

Bonnie.

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><p>AN : Don't hesitate to drop a review...:-)

And no, Ghost, not yet the stones in action...:-)


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: Thanks again, you guys, for your awesome reviews! (Special thanks to Ghost (also for all the DISTRACTION:D))

Bonnie showed up...I never saw the day coming I'd like her...but this was brave, huh? Let's see what she got from showing up in the lion's den...

Enjoy!

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 21<span>**

_This is where the chapter ends_

_ And new one out begins_

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><em>

Time Of Our Lives by Tyrone Wells

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"Bonnie Bennet. You will never give up, will you? How many times did you try to kill me by now? Twice, I think." Klaus turned his head a little, sparing Bonnie only a brief glance without loosening his grip on Damon the slightest.

Bonnie cocked her head lightly. "Third time's a charm."

"Well, I never believed in the truth of proverbs" he drawled and gave his best attention to Damon again. "But I do believe in getting rid of those who are repeatedly interfering. This is tedious."

Looking annoyed, he drew back a few inches as in disdain. "And fortunately I don't need you anymore; for today's charge of new hybrids, your blood has done its work in the potion Belle has cooked. When my boys are awake again, they will drink it. It turns out to be so much better than human blood for turning them… they won't be just vampires; this is what makes them hybrids… " He chuckled, clearly enjoying the picture. "For later, I prefer the poetry in using the doppelganger anyway… I'll better have her sharing blood with more willing vampires than you. So tell me, what use do I have for you then? " Klaus glanced at him with raised brows, a mock questioning look on his face. "I'll tell you: none!" And with that his second hand shot down to the vampire's chest, ready to rip his heart out.

Damon reacted instantly; his hand darted up to fiercely grasp Klaus' hand that was hovering over his chest now; he couldn't pull it away a mere inch, but managed at least to slow down the movement toward his heart.

It was then when Bonnie stepped closer, raising her hand, but before she could use any spell, two things happened simultaneously.

Bonnie suddenly reeled back, stumbled and fell. When she looked up she spotted Belle, only a few yards away, furiously glaring at her. She held her hands raised in front of her, her fingers claw-like bent in the effort to cast a spell to hold another witch down. Bonnie was caught off guard; she couldn't move a single muscle, she could barely breathe let alone defend herself; she sat on the ground, staring at the witch, frozen to the spot.

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><p>.<p>

At the same time Klaus, still trying to bore his hand into Damon's chest, stopped his movement, distracted by his precious doppelganger.

Elena had stepped closer, determination emanating from her whole body. "Don't you dare hurting him!" she hissed, clutching the knife with both hands, pointing it at her heart now. "I will kill myself. Good luck with your scheme then."

Klaus glowered at her; every hint of false amusement was wiped away from his face now, instead pure hatred flickered over his features before he had his face under control again; yet he couldn't manage to hide the anxiety creeping in his veins that she could be capable of doing what she had threatened to do.

"You won't do that!" Klaus growled.

"Try me" she spat out, taking another step closer to fortify the menace.

Damon struggled to get free, but he was no match for the Original. His eyes wide open, scared to death, he stared at Elena; he hadn't left any breath in his lungs, but his face was as expressive as if he was shouting all over the clearing when he simply could mouth the words. "No! Elena, don't!" He knew she was capable of doing this. He had seen it once, and he could tell that she was determined to do it. To save _his_ life. But this time no one knew if someone would be able to save her life afterward; so he kept on struggling with every ounce of strength he had left.

Klaus hadn't intended to kill any of them, but with Bonnie showing up everything changed; they were becoming a menace to his project.

He came to a decision. Surely she would not kill herself.

Eventually he let go of Damon's throat to get his second hand free, clutched the hand clenching his arm, tore it away and yanked his hand into the vampire's chest.

"NO! You freaking bastard!" Elena yelled; and then she did what she had to do. With a gasp she plunged the blade into her chest. The pain was overwhelming, and she slumped down, her eyes meeting Damon's before her lids fluttered and her eyes fell shut.

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><p>.<p>

Bonnie still couldn't move. She tried to muster all of her strength when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a blur, and the next moment she was free.

She jumped to her feet, looking puzzled; where Belle had been standing just seconds before, the ground was empty now; looking around, she detected her lying on the ground in a short distance with a vampire hovering over her; Katherine.

Her hands aimed for Belles head, ready to snap her neck, when they suddenly jerked up to her own head, holding fiercely her temples to shut out the pain. Bonnie instantly knew why: Belle was giving the vampire aneurysms. In a good condition, Katherine was able to fend it off; but right now, with force feeding the humans, she had lost too much blood.

While rushing over to them and focusing on Belle, Bonnie raised her hand and murmured the words of a spell; Klaus' witch froze, and apparently Katherine's pain was gone the same moment. She immediately let go of her head, grabbed Belle's head instead and with a fast movement snapped her neck.

She allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction, and then she looked up to Bonnie. When their eyes met, both grinned slightly in understanding; for once they were fighting on the same side, and they had gained a small victory together.

However, the good feeling vanished into thin air when they turned to the clearing and became aware of what had happened to the others.

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><p>.<p>

"No!" Klaus' face paled and he froze in shock for a second. He should have known better; he _knew_ the girl's will to sacrifice her life for the people she cared about... He drew his empty hand out of the chest where it still was tucked in and finally let go of the vampire. He couldn't kill him now. If the doppelganger died, he'd need his blood in the future. In a flash he was at Elena's side and knelt down. He lifted his hand to bite in his wrist; he needed to heal her.

Still, he didn't get that far. Not having an inkling of what had been going on around him, too focused on his own fight, Bonnie's attack came completely unexpected. All of a sudden he found himself flying through the air and crashing against the quarry's wall.

He felt fury rising up; this should have been a glorious night, the night the very first creatures of his kind should have been sired. And then some arrogant teenagers plus two even more arrogant vampires threatened to ruin everything. His anger heightened when he spotted the lifeless body of his witch.

He turned toward Bonnie. It was not the first time that she was getting in his way; he had to destroy her. Now. An inarticulate growl escaped from his throat; he focused on the werewolf part inside of him, and fueled by his fury, within a few seconds he had turned.

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><p>.<p>

"NO! Elena!"

A hoarse cry sounded over the glade when Damon slumped to the ground. Despite the unbearable pain in his chest where Klaus had scraped his heart he began instantly to crawl toward the deathly injured girl.

He was stopped by Alaric, suddenly appearing next to him, kneeling down and placing his hands on his shoulders. "Wait…" Ric tugged up Damon's shirt and examined the wound the hybrid's hand had left; it had already started to heal, but still looked not at all good enough to enable him to jump into the fray right now.

Damon didn't care about his wound; he couldn't avert his eyes from Elena. He watched Klaus at her side, and he saw him flying through the air; he wondered briefly about the reason for this flight, until he spotted Bonnie. The same moment he tried again to get to Elena; noticing that he was too slow due to his injury, he pleaded with Ric. "Take her to me, she needs my blood…"

Alaric nodded and rose, but before he could take one step, Jeremy was there.

Two tears of fear for his sister, again, left wet tracks on his cheeks. Impatiently wiping them away, he knelt down at her side. He gently laid his hand on her neck to check her pulse; her heart was beating, but undoubtedly weak. He saw a movement from the corner of his eye and realized that Ric was kneeling down beside him.

"Don't pull it out, Jer…" he said quietly. Jeremy nodded, cautiously scooped the slender girl up and carried her to Damon. Gingerly he laid her down in the vampire's waiting arms.

Damon's wrist was already bitten open and he held it at her lips, but they remained unmoving.

"Don't you dare dying for me! Drink up, stupid girl!" he urged, fear and anger lacing his voice. She slowly opened her eyes. When their gazes met, a slight smile crossed her face.

"You live…" she whispered.

"Yes, I do. And I want you to do the same for me. I need you to drink my blood now, Elena." He held her gaze, his blue eyes boring into hers.

Elena closed her eyes; and then he felt her lips enclosing the bite marks on his wrist; and for the third time within only four days he felt relief washing through his veins when he felt the soft pull of her mouth on his wrist.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The hybrid took the time he needed to adjust to his changed body. After a few seconds a deep growl ascended in the werewolf's throat, and then he leapt toward Bonnie; but the moment he reached her, she was gone.

Bonnie had been distracted by her injured friends; when she saw the wolf pouncing on her it was too late to react. Her eyes widened in fear and her heart skipped a beat; for a split second she knew with absolute certainty that she would die on this clearing.

Then she discerned a dashing wind and a blur in front of her, and she felt herself being hauled away from the place she'd been standing. Finding herself sitting on the ground again, she saw Caroline, fully vamped out jumping back on her feet in a flash, taking in a defensive stance.

"Thanks" Bonnie said with a still pounding heart. Caroline just grinned as reply.

They observed the werewolf and saw him turn around and eying them. And then they saw someone else: Tyler, holding the blowpipe at his lips and blowing in, curtly but forcefully. They couldn't see the tiny dart flying, not even Caroline with her enhanced senses; but they could see Tyler smiling brightly, and they knew he had hit the werewolf. He filled a second dart in the tubule and blew it toward the wolf once more, and again he smiled satisfied.

Still, this time, the werewolf had heard him. He turned round, ready to pounce at Tyler, when suddenly he was flung toward the edge of the wood. Katherine whirled around and stared at Bonnie, hands on her hips and fury in her eyes.

"Well, since I guess you actually _had_ a plan…this would be a good time now to carry it out…"

Bonnie woke out of her momentary numbness. Katherine was right. The darts had found their target; the potion should do its work to weaken the werewolf side in Klaus right now. He only had to come back… where was he? Bonnie saw the others moving away from the center of the clearing, in preparation of building a circle; only Damon sat still in the middle, cradling Elena in his arms. He had pulled the knife out; her heart was beating stronger now. She was healing, but she was unconscious.

Scooping her up, Damon rose to his feet and tossed a desperate glance at Bonnie. "She won't be able to hold…" He was cut off by a deep growl from behind him. He froze. Then he turned slowly and stared into the wolf's eyes.

"This is your last fight." Damon's voice was oozing out the unconditional will to kill the hybrid here and now; he vaguely saw the others grabbing their stones. He couldn't reach his, and neither could Elena.

Observing his enemy, he discerned the very moment when the werewolf was about to leap. He prepared to blur away when the wolf lunged at him, but Caroline suddenly pounced on the werewolf, crashing into his side and hauling him a few yards aside. She earned them a few seconds; Damon grabbed both stones out of their pockets while blurring to a gap in the circle. He stared at the stones in his hand and at Elena, not knowing what to do, when Bonnie cried: "Throw it to Katherine!"

Damon didn't hesitate; he hurled one of the stones to Katherine and she easily caught it.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The moment The Seven were held from seven people of all four known species, standing in a circle around the hybrid, it was as if a jolt went over the world. It wasn't like an earth quake; it was not the touchable world that jolted, but the sensible world. Damon glanced at Caroline standing next to him, and he could tell by the look in her face that she had sensed it, too.

And so had apparently the werewolf; he stood frozen in the center of the circle and whined. His ears hung, and with his tail between his hind limbs he looked frightened.

Bonnie began to chant. It sounded different from everything Damon ever had heard of her, somehow older and darker. He felt heat emanating from the stone, and it spread slowly from his hand through his body, reaching every vein and every nerve. Elena, still scooped up in his arms, stirred lightly.

The wolf's whining became louder and turned into yowling. All of a sudden he shifted, and then he lunged at Damon and Elena. Damon tried instinctively to backpedal, but he found himself rooted to the spot. Bending protectively over Elena, he braced himself for the impact. Yet, nothing happened; at least not to him and Elena. The lunge came mere inches in front of Damon to a sudden halt when the wolf crashed into an invisible barrier and plumped to the ground. He couldn't get out of the circle anymore.

.

Damon completely lost his sense of time; he couldn't have said if it was an hour or just three minutes they were standing in the circle now.

The chanting became louder and more forcefully. The werewolf stood in the middle of the circle, whining, his legs trembling, his head hanging.

And then, without a warning, he turned back into his human form. It didn't happen as fast as he had turned into a wolf; it went slowly and apparently painfully.

He slumped to the ground when the first signs of turning appeared; his legs couldn't carry him anymore. Then the guts wrenching sound of breaking bones set in; the fur vanished and the eyes lost their amber color.

.

When the transformation was complete, Klaus lay on the ground, awake but obviously dazed. But only for a short while; then abruptly his head shot up, and he glanced at the disturbing scenery in front of him: a bunch of teenagers, hell bent to make his life complicated, building a wide circle around him, no sign of fear on their faces.

That was the fact that left him unsettled; they had no fear. Why? They should have. He was a hybrid, after all. He paused briefly in his thoughts, and then it dawned to him that something was wrong. He gaped at his hand, stood up slowly and glanced down at his body. He was no wolf anymore.

Why not? He could change willingly. It was his decision to change. And he was aware that this time, he had not decided to turn back.

A cruel suspicion sneaked into his mind. He instantly tried to turn into a wolf again. When it didn't work, he curled his hands into fists, lifted his head and let out a blood curdling shriek that sounded not only over the clearing, but was still audible in a mile distance.

What ever they had done, they had succeeded. The fulfillment of a thousand year old longing had become undone.

He was no hybrid anymore.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

With hearing Klaus' screak, Elena's eyes flew open. She stared at Damon, panic written all over her face. "Damon?"

He pulled her closer for a brief moment, not ready to let her go, the fear of losing her still too vivid in his mind. Then he let her down on her feet, turning her lightly to enable her to look at the inner of the circle. Elena gasped when she saw Klaus standing in the middle, wrath emanating from each inch of his naked body.

"Was he…" she whispered, not daring to speak loudly.

"Furry? Yes." Damon whispered back and smirked.

"And…" Elena hesitated. "Is he…"

"No hybrid anymore?" Damon helped her out once more. When she nodded, he smiled and, sneaking an arm around her shoulder, pulled her in a light embrace. "No, apparently not. The weakening potion and the witch have worked."

Elena didn't know anything about a potion, but she let it drop for now; she'd find out later.

She glanced at her friends building the circle; she noticed that they obviously all were holding their stones, and the thought occurred to her that she had to hold one, too. But she didn't.

Damon watched her touching her pocket where her stone had been tucked away.

"Katherine" he whispered, tilting his head in the vampire's direction. Elena glanced over to her and nodded again. Then she turned to look at the outside of the circle, but with the fires only gleaming now, it was too dark to see something. Damon followed her gaze and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Klaus didn't kill him. Right now, he's okay…"

She gratefully gazed up at him. "I have to look after him; the killed guys will wake, eventually…" She tried to step back, but found herself unable to move away from the circle. Damon lifted his brows and shrugged.

At this moment something changed again. Klaus, standing unmoving in the center of the circle, head bent down as if in concentration, seemed to sense it as well as everybody else, and he lifted his head. The bewilderment visible in his face now was slowly replaced by an emotion they never had seen on his face before, not even the moment when Elijah had been about to rip his heart out, well knowing that he still had something up his sleeve to change his brother's mind; it was pure mortal fear. What ever it was happening to them, it obviously seemed to appear life threatening to him.

The stones' warmth increased; after a while Damon could scarcely hold it in his fist anymore. He opened it and held the stone on his outstretched hand in front of him, and one by one their friends did the same.

The stones began to glow in a cold, blue light, at first nearly imperceptible, but getting brighter every second. After a while it became visible that not only the stones itself were glowing; each one of them seemed to have a connection to each one of the others, reaching from one to another in high rising bows; and these connections also were gleaming, like constant flashes from stone to stone, building a quivering cupola-formed cage above the being that no longer was a hybrid.

And then a familiar feeling set in, familiar at least to Damon and Elena who had experienced this feeling already twice. The air seemed to thicken around them and everything surrounding the flickering cupola vanished.

When their heads started to spin, Damon suddenly shouted: "Sit down, guys! The spinning of your heads will get worse. If you lose your balance and fall, you could lose the stones…" They all did what he said without questioning it.

Elena grabbed his hand on her shoulder and sighed deeply. "I never wanted to go there again…" she muttered.

Damon shrugged. "The bitches didn't seem to be interested the slightest in what we wanted to do…Maybe they want to finish him off themselves. If so, I'm good with it" he stated.

Like three nights ago, the spinning sensation spread over their bodies, the ground seemed to vanish and they all felt whirled up in the air, and eight pairs of eyes closed involuntary; still they held their arms steady in front of them, the stones never threatened to fall.

When they reopened their eyes Elena heard some gasps, and Katherine, who not even had heard from their trip, cursed quietly. They were sitting around the shiny glass cone, now only lit by a dim light, where they had found The Seven. The circle they were building had gotten wider, the distance between the persons building it had increased; only Elena and Damon still sat together.

The cupola was still intact and high enough to enclose the cone.

Klaus stood mere yards away from the glassy rock, and he looked devastated. Although they were certain that the barrier would still be up and he'd not be able to reach them, with Klaus standing and themselves sitting on the ground, they felt inferior to him, so they took in their standing positions as before.

While the gleaming light in front of them became brighter every minute, it was not completely unexpected by Damon and Elena when a familiar voice greeted them like the last time.

"Vampire" it announced, and after a moment: "Human."

"Witches" both greeted back simultaneously; then their eyes met and they grinned. Elena glanced briefly to Bonnie and saw her staring at the rock, her jaw dropped in amazement.

"You succeeded. You stopped the one who inclined the balance of nature and brought him here. You enabled us to correct a mistake that had been made by one of us. We thank you."

"Well, you're welcome, I think." Damon lightly shrugged his shoulders. "You know, it's not that we liked him very much…We won't miss him."

"What will happen to him?" Elena asked curiously.

"What has to happen." The voice simply said.

"Yeah, we know this kind of answers…" Damon muttered.

It was then when the glowing connections between The Seven, looking like flashing ropes, began to shine even brighter than before and a whirring sound set in. The cupola began to expand, rising higher than before. The crest, the point where most of the rope-like connections converged, suddenly changed the direction where it was moving to. Slowly but inexorably it went down toward Klaus. His eyes went wide in fear; but then, all of a sudden, he began to laugh. And it was the scariest sound Elena ever had heard.

"You won!" he laughed, turning to each one of them, his eyes holding insanity now. His gaze lingered a little longer at Bonnie and at Katherine, who in response, although scared to death herself, not knowing in which strange world she was, raised her chin defiantly and stared him in the eyes.

At last Klaus turned toward Elena and Damon. Glaring at Elena, he spat out: "Who knows what will really happen to me? Maybe I'm coming back…"

The thought alone sent shivers down Elena's spine, but she wouldn't let him win the last duel. Mimicking her spitting image, she raised her chin and stared back.

"I know you won't. But we will be here, having our happily ever after. After you."

Laughing again Klaus turned toward Damon and the laughter faded away. "Loving a human" he snorted, and Elena felt Damon tensing. "You are weak." Klaus emphasized every word.

Damon glared at him; then he relaxed and smiled brightly. "And you…are dead."

It was the moment when the converging point of the rope-like permanent flashes had reached the Original. The second it touched his head he let out a screech of terror; he began to glow like the stones as if electricity flew through him. He was lifted up and the scream broke off; he was too horrified to make a sound any longer.

The flashes with their burden rose higher and higher, until Klaus was held over the top of the cone.

And then The Seven suddenly stopped glowing, the flashes vanished and Klaus fell.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

When he hit the top of the brightly shining cone with a thud, the world seemed to explode. The cone did so, at least. It started to throw out sparks like the small fire works volcanoes on New Years Eve; only it was a twenty feet high sparking volcano and the fire works was accompanied by loud rumbling and a shriek that seemed to come right out of hell.

With the explosion The Seven had begun to gleam again, and now the bright glow in their outstretched hands turned into blinding light, so that they felt the need to protect their eyes against it; although no one could avert their eyes from the spectacle that was the last performance of the world's most evil and most dangerous being ever.

The rumbling became louder, and with the sparks there were shards of glass thrown out of the cone; they instinctively tried to backpedal, but found themselves still rooted, so they ducked down and held their arms over their heads.

Since the rock was glassy, they could see Klaus sinking into the newly formed crater where only moments ago the top of the cone had been. He fought to get out again, in vain trying to dig his fingers into the edge of the crater, gliding deeper into the rock with every move until he was buried in its middle.

And then, with a last deafening bang, the cone exploded into billions of shards of glass.

The Seven on their hands were gone.

And so was Klaus.  
>.<p>

* * *

><p><span>AN: One more chapter that fought me, but differently this time ... I wrote it down in just two days, but then it wanted to be edited a zillion times...

I hope it's worth the delay! Don't forget to review...:-)


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I sadly still don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

A/N: It took me more than a week this time...it was kind of a rough week, though.

It was a good thing to have killed Klaus before he got so 'human' on the show, wasn't it?

*sigh* Is it Thursday yet...Hey! IT IS! (Just a shame that I have to wait till Friday...:( )

So let's have a look at the aftermath of the hybrid era ...

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22<strong>

_If there's a possibility_

_ You turn and run away with me_

_ I need to show you before it fades_

_.  
><em>

Brave by Tawgs Salter

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The immense explosion had left them staggering, and the amount of shards flying around caused them to crouch down, still holding their arms protectively over their heads; Damon and Elena instinctively leaned into each other, building kind of a small cave with their entwined arms.

When the last shard of glass had fallen down, the following silence was complete. No one moved, no one dared to look up.

Damon was the first hazarding a glance; cautiously squinting he opened one eye and peered through their intertwined arms to the place where just some moments ago they had seen the shiny cone exploding. What he saw there was better than anything he could have thought of.

Nothing.

There was nothing left from the shiny cone, not one shard of glass; and, even more valuable, nothing from Klaus.

Not a hint that he ever had existed.

Damon slowly lifted his head and let his arms glide down on Elena's shoulders, causing her to relax a little and tentatively open her eyes. His face was still only inches away; the sight of his unbelievably blue eyes intently gazing into hers made her heart flutter and the flies in her stomach hectically swirl around. He lifted his hand to cup her cheek, briefly brushing his thumb over her soft skin; then he gingerly pushed her head aside to watch the scenery. Elena's eyes widened, taking in the complete lack of everything that had been there before, including Klaus; she turned around to gaze at Damon again and swallowed.

Her voice not obeying her command, she sounded as if she couldn't believe her own words when she whispered: "He's gone…"

He nodded, barely visible, his eyes now shining with a slight smile scarcely curling his lips. With the sudden realization of having achieved what they had aimed to for such a long time and with such an effort, relief washed through her veins and tears welled up in her eyes, not hindering a bright smile appearing on her face.

However, the smile vanished at the change of emotions his face was expressing; the light smile was replaced by earnestness. He stared at her now, a flash of anger suddenly crossing his features. His low voice cracking, pinning her with his gaze, he said: "Don't _ever_ do that again!"

She knew what he meant. Of course she did. But – what answer was she supposed to give? She didn't regret it, not for a second. And she would do it again.

Her eyes silently apologizing, she gently placed her palms on his chest. "You know that I can't promise you that." When she saw him glaring at her, she added, not completely able to suppress a lightly challenging tone: "Could you?"

Holding her gaze for a long while, he felt his anger slowly fading away; no, he couldn't either. It was pointless to deny it. Acknowledging this left him lightly unsettled; the fear of losing her would probably never completely abandon him any more. _I didn't love get in the way_… He sighed deeply and pulled her in a tight embrace. Right now she was safe. They all were.

And he intended to enjoy that feeling.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

After having realized that Klaus was gone for good, after a much needed outburst of cheering and hugging and clapping shoulders, they all had exited the intermediate world without any problems.

When nothing had happened for a while, they had decided to walk ahead in any direction, just like Damon and Elena had done the first time they had been here. Like back then, at some point the head spinning had set in; since they hadn't known how to build appropriate pairings to securely leave the world, they just had sat down in a tight circle. Just like three nights before, the spinning had gotten worse until they'd passed out.

Waking up back at the clearing, they had found Matt and the other 7 young men, who hadn't been killed before Damon and Katherine had interjected, safe and sound. The two killed men hadn't woken up yet, and to everyone's utter surprise Katherine had offered to take care of them, what ever they'd decide to do.

That left them with the issue of Belle's lifeless body lying on the ground. Considering that he had to fetch his car from Klaus' house anyways, Damon decided to stay a little longer than the rest of the gang and take care of burying her.

The others were eager to go home. Elena understood them; however, she wasn't. Going home implied facing Stefan again, and that picture still sent shivers of dread down her spine. Worst of all it implied the inevitable end of what had grown between her and Damon during the last days. Postponing this as long as she could, she wanted to stay with Damon; pretending to have forgotten something in Klaus' house, she earned herself knowing looks from Ric, Caroline and Jeremy. As long as she stayed with him, Damon couldn't care less if she was pretending anything.

Using two shovels from Ric's SUV that he had left them, they dug side by side without talking. Elena was eerily reminded of the night she had done this with Stefan, betraying Damon by shutting him out. She remembered vividly the expression of hurt on his face when he showed up at his father's grave and got it that she had fooled him; the remorse she had felt and successfully suppressed before had instantly turned to regret. She hadn't regretted to prevent him from getting hold on the grimmoire, but the betrayal she'd committed and the pain she'd caused him with that.

And suddenly a realization hit her she hadn't been aware of before. Everyone, including her, was just complaining about the things he'd done to her. He'd genuinely apologized for them, partly more than once.

But no one ever spoke of what she had done to him, and even less had she apologized for any of it. Of course she never had killed anyone he had loved nor forced him to do something that would change his entire life; but she had hurt him all the same, several times, partly even deliberately hurt him. The acts themselves had maybe not been comparable to what he had done to her; the caused pain was.

She put the shovel down, pushed it into the ground next to the hole she was standing in, still holding the handle and bracing her chin on her hands. She watched him warily, trying to read his facial expression; when she didn't find a hint of any emotion, she decided to talk to him, well knowing that she would stir some then.

He lifted his gaze from the ground to glance at her. When he'd noticed that she'd paused digging he'd thought she was just tired. However, one brief look at her sufficed to tell him that she had another reason. Questioningly he raised one brow.

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat down and cut right to the chase. "Damon…I never really apologized."

That was getting interesting. Damon plunged the shovel into the ground and sat down on the hole's edge. Eyeing her attentively, he tried to fathom what exactly she was talking about.

Suddenly becoming flustered at his expectant look, she went on fast to get it over with. "I have done things to you that have hurt you…" Seeing his intense gaze on her she paused, she didn't know anymore if it had been a wise decision to bring it up right now; still, apparently it was too late.

"Like what?" he interrogated when she hesitated.

Elena sighed; yes, it was too late. "Like to leave you out when we were searching for the grimmoire."

Damon snorted lightly. "That old thing? Seriously?" He looked at the hole they were digging and nodded.

"Oh, I get it; what we're doing here reminded you at that night and stirred up a bad conscience…Don't worry, Elena, it didn't hurt me. Vampire button, remember?"

"What, you still pretend not to get hurt?" Elena straightened and stepped closer to him. "You can't be serious, Damon. I know that it hurt you; I've seen it in your eyes."

He waved her words away with his hand. "It's long ago…"

"There's more" she said. "The night I told you that you had lost me forever…I lied because I _wanted_ to hurt you…"

She was interrupted by Damon. "I know, but it's long ago too…"

She went on unperturbed; she needed to say it now. She had the odd feeling that once they made it home, seeing that things would go back to …normal…, she never would have the courage again. "…and the night you broke Jeremy's neck…" She paused briefly, bracing herself for the next words and saw him stiffening. "…I lied, too."

Damon breathed in sharply; then he rose to his feet and stared at her. "We're not having this conversation right now, Elena. We have a body to bury." He turned away and grabbed the shovel, but she closed the short distance between them and gently cupped his hand holding the handle. His body went rigid; he didn't know whether to shrug her hand off or pull her in a tight embrace, so he decided not to move at all.

She gazed at him with pleading eyes. "Damon, I need to tell you this now, because I don't know when I'll have another opportunity to do so…"

He turned to her abruptly, shrugging her hand away in the process. "What for, Elena?" he snapped. "To torture me? To torture yourself? What good does it saying out loud the truth, if it doesn't change anything?"

She winced at that sudden outburst. "Damon…"

"Spare me, Elena. We both know that I'm damn right. Fine, you admitted that there always _was_ something going on between us. Am I supposed to feel better now? Well, I don't. You feel the need to apologize for your lie? Apology accepted. Now take your shovel and dig!" he spat out and shoved the blade violently into the ground.

Elena watched him dumbstruck. What had she expected? Annoyed she noticed that again tears were brimming in her eyes, and once more she tried to bite them back.

"I wanted to clear up things between us before…" she said quietly, trailing off when she didn't know anymore how to end the sentence without hurting him even more.

Without stopping the digging he glared at her for a second. "Before what? Oh, I know. Before our world goes back to normal. Elena and Stefan forever again …"

Elena couldn't say a word. Silently she stood there for quite a long time, her eyes latched on Damon, not bothering to wipe away the tears that, of course, were falling now.

She mentally kicked herself; why the hell had she started this? She had ruined this precious moment, one of the last ones they had before their coming home…to Stefan. She couldn't picture the next days at all; days without Damon...and she didn't want to. But what other choice did she have? And now she had made him mad at her...What the hell was she thinking?

After a long while she grabbed her shovel and went on with the work. After a few minutes wordlessly digging she realized that the desperation she had felt had turned to anger; anger about the hopelessness of the situation they were in. After everything they had gone through, they still wouldn't get a happy ending…

Damon tossed her a furtive glance; at the sight of her tear stained eyes he sighed and put the shovel aside again; the girl's tears always hit him at his weak spot, he couldn't resist them. He stepped over to her and lifted his hand to lay it on her shoulder; in an afterthought he decided otherwise and let it slump down again.

"Elena?" he asked tentatively, not knowing what to expect.

She angrily plunged the shovel into the ground and tossed the earth on the growing pile outside so forcefully that it flew over the pile and landed strewn on the other side. Seeing that, she let out a cry of rage and hurled the shovel aside where it hit a tree a few yards away, causing a loud 'clonk'. Then she stood there, hands clenched to fists, eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming down her cheeks, leaving tracks in the dusty face.

Damon was taken aback. He had never seen her like this. Wasn't this supposed to be a happy day? They finally had defeated Klaus, with no further loss, apart from two unknown boys he didn't care about. What ever it was making her feeling like this, it was not the time for restraint. He didn't hesitate any longer; he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in a ginger embrace that tightened immediately when he felt her shaking. She threw herself into his arms, buried her face in the crook of his neck and sobbed, leaving wet stains on his shirt; there was no way to bite back anything anymore. Stroking her hair, he held her for a long time, until finally the shaking ceased.

When he eventually spoke to her, his voice was low and filled with concern. "What's wrong, Elena? Talk to me…"

That caused a new wave of sobs before she could answer. "I…I don't…" She took in a deep breath to manage to speak again. "I don't want to go home, Damon…"

His stomach began to flutter; she cried about having to go home? That implied that she was crying about them. About...him. He briefly closed his eyes, then pulled away to look into hers. He gently cupped her face with both hands, tilting it upward to meet her gaze.

He knew what the answer would be; still he couldn't help but try it at least.

"Then…don't" he said in a soft voice, lightly shaking his head, holding her gaze with such an intense look that her knees almost buckled.

For a few moments she allowed pictures of them flowing through her mind, running away together…then the day dream shattered.

"I can't, Damon…" she whispered, and hadn't he have enhanced hearing, he would've missed it.

His hopefully lifted brows knit together now in a mixture of disappointment and compassion. Then he closed his eyes again and pulled her back in his embrace.

"He needs me…" she whispered desperately against his neck.

"I know."

"But…I'm so scared…"

He tightened his hold on her a little. "I'll be right there."

She nodded. "I know…"

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The journey back to Mystic Falls had been calm; they had been beyond tired and still processing the events of the night.

While Alaric had taken Katherine and the two half turned boys to a motel close to Mystic Falls, the others had gone with Bonnie's car. The first of them she had brought home had been Matt; he had been very silent, but composed. When Caroline had offered to stay with him he had dismissed her; the night's events clearly hadn't helped him to come around with all the supernatural stuff, it rather seemed as if they had convinced him even more to stay away from all that as far as possible.

The next stop had been Caroline's where Tyler had parked his car, so Bonnie had dropped them both off.

After hugging Bonnie for good bye and watching them leaving, Caroline turned toward Tyler, who still stood next to her as if waiting for something.

"So" she said without knowing the slightest what to say; she just couldn't bear the silence.

"So" Tyler confirmed, smiling at her. Then, his face suddenly becoming serious, he gazed into her eyes in a way that made her legs tremble. He cupped her cheeks, lifting her face.

"You were awesome tonight." His voice was filled with admiration

Although flushing at the compliment, Caroline waved it away with a shake of her hand. "Ugh, that…was nothing…"

"Yeah, right. Pouncing on a werewolf, whose bite would kill you and who, besides, is the biggest baddie ever, and hauling him away is nothing. That is for sure the understatement of the century" he chuckled. Caroline flushed even more.

"Without you finding the weakening-of-his-werewolf-side-spell we couldn't have succeeded without the new moon" Caroline pointed out. "And without your accuracy with your little darts not either."

It was Tyler's turn to wave his hand. "Oh, that…yeah, very courageous..." he scoffed.

"It was courageous" Caroline insisted vehemently. "He could have torn you apart. It wasn't a full moon, and so you're not as strong as we vampires…And you knew that one dart should've been enough, but you wanted to be sure and blew another one…I was _so_ scared about you when he noticed you…"

Tyler's heart began to flutter. "You were?" he asked, searching in her face for more than friendship, hoping to see what he thought to have heard.

Caroline tried to speak around the knot that had built in her throat at the sight of his intense gaze, but she couldn't manage it; so she only nodded.

Tyler hesitated; he had done it once and had been rejected…_Things have changed since then_…still…

Caroline watched him silently, and she felt all her fears of making the wrong decision or hurting Matt vanishing into thin air, and with sudden clarity she knew, this was what she wanted all along; this knowledge settled on her face.

There it was.

What Tyler had been looking for he saw now glowing in her eyes. His heart skipped a beat, and he slowly leaned in and kissed her.

And this time, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

They buried Belle's body, poured out the potion she had cooked with Damon's blood and hid the kettle in the cave.

When they finally were done, dawn had arrived. Although they both were tired, they sat down, leaning against the quarry's wall and watched silently the sun rising up. Their fingers entwined, and neither of them could have said who had taken whose hand first.

After a long time Elena braced herself. "We should go" she suggested, her voice filled with resolution now, mixed with a hint of sadness. Damon eyed her intently; when he detected the determination in her face, everything in him yearned to snatch her and take her away from here, from Mystic Falls, from Virginia, from the United States even. Mexico. Or Europe. Rome. Yeah, Rome suited just fine. He could show her all the fabulous remnants of the past, a past long before even his life time.

Instead he nodded, stood up, dusted his jeans off and reached her his hand to pull her to her feet. Silently thanking him with her eyes she accepted his help, but stepped aside as soon as she stood upright.

Damon furrowed his brows; he discerned the change in her demeanor, and he knew what it meant. She had made her decision. And to accomplish what she thought she had to do, she had to shut him out. Again he contemplated briefly the possibility to grab her and take off; but it was too late for an act like that. Maybe an hour ago, when they were digging the grave for the dead witch…No, not even then. When she had come to her senses again, she would have left him anyways. And he realized that in competition with his brother, once more, he never had had a real chance. Even if right now it was something different from eternal love that brought her back to him, even if partly it was just a feeling of obligation.

He drew in a deep breath, straightened and smirked at her. "Wanna walk to the car, or prefer to take the piggy back express again?"

.

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><p>.<p>

When they arrived at the boarding house, Elena had fallen asleep just ten minutes ago. She hadn't said much during the whole journey; Damon had tried to lighten the mood, but she clearly had been distracted, and he knew that is was her fear about meeting Stefan what blocked her mind.

He felt sorry for her to wake her up so soon after having finally fallen asleep, but he was sure that it was what she'd want him to do. He reached over to her, brushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He resisted the urge to kiss her on her cheek, stroked it lightly with his fingertips instead, and then he gently grabbed her shoulder. Shaking it gingerly he tried to wake her up. "Elena, we're back home…"

Elena's eyes flew open, her head jerked round and she stared at him appalled, almost frightened. When she realized that it was Damon, her features soothed and she calmed down. She stretched her arms over her head and managed to say just one word: "Coffee."

He smirked at her. "Who knew you could be that polite…"

.

After drinking a mug of steaming coffee and eating two donuts Damon had bought on their way home, she knew she had to face it eventually. She swallowed down her fear with the last swig of her coffee, rose from the armchair she was sitting on and headed toward the hallway.

"I'm going down to the basement…" she announced, sounding much more confidently than she was feeling.

"You're not going alone" Damon stated firmly, following her immediately.

Elena halted, turned her head and gave him a pleading look. "You told me he's thinking clearly again. He won't hurt me. I have to do this on my own, Damon. Please."

He blurred past her, standing in front of her now. He raised his hand to lift her chin with his finger, but changed his mind and just pinned her with his gaze. "You stay outside. You don't touch the latch. Promise me" he urged.

She saw her own fear mirrored in his eyes. "I promise."

He examined her face for a few seconds, looking as if he considered to say more but decided otherwise. Then his eyes softened and he let her go, nodded once and stepped aside. "I'll be right here."

"Thanks" she whispered, still holding his gaze; with an effort she then broke away and went on, crossing the threshold to the basement.

.

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><p>.<p>

When she descended, the fear leapt at her like a wild animal. Her reart was beating eratically, and she gratefully thought of Damon watching out for her upstairs. She forced herself to go on, trying to focus on memories from the first time they had locked up Stefan down here. Unfortunately those memories were incessantly replaced by newer ones of him attacking her.

She cautiously stepped closer to the cell door and peered through the bars at the small window. Stefan sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forward, his elbows braced on his knees. He looked way better than the last time she had seen him; actually he looked pretty normal, and Elena relaxed slightly.

He raised his head when she reached the door, then he stood up and approached the door; Elena backpedaled instinctively, causing him to stop dead in his tracks, pain appearing on his face.

"Elena" he said, and his voice was filled with so much emotion that she instantly stepped forward to the door again.

"Hey" she greeted him, but she couldn't bring herself to say his name. "How are you?"

He came a little closer, but halted still a few yards distant from the door, afraid to scare her again. "Much better" he replied quietly. "And I won't hurt you, Elena." He gazed her in the eyes, trying to lace his voice with emphasis to make her believing him. "Never more."

_Yeah, until you for what ever reason drink human blood again_…Against better judgment she nodded; he was convinced to tell her the truth, he wanted and he needed to believe it. And he needed her to believe it.

She'd have to live with that lurking menace.

He hesitantly closed the distance between the door and himself; slowly, to show her that the movement was no threat to her, he raised his hand, reached through the bars and stroked her cheek, and then he cupped her face. Elena stiffened, but with an effort didn't flinch. She tried to push back the memory about what this hand had done the last time she had been here; instead she focused on the feelings it used to give her before he had left for receiving a cure for his brother; yet, she was not able to recall them. Every inch of her screamed to run away, but she fought successfully to stand her ground.

He seemed to realize her inner battle, and tears welled up in his eyes when he tore his hand away from her face and let it slump down again.

Elena's stomach churned at this sight. She knew that she had given him the wrong signs; to see her frightened of him was far away from showing her belief in him that he needed to help him recover. She had made her decision, now she had to make it visible.

She choked back her fear and, feeling safe enough with the knowledge that upstairs Damon was listening to every breath she was taking, she managed to lift her arm and sneak it through the bars, reaching for his hand.

"It's you and me, Stefan" she said, trying to make it sound firmly.

Yet, she couldn't change the fact that, to her ears, it sounded like a lie.

.

Upstairs, a dark haired vampire, leaning his shoulder against the wall next to the doorframe leading down to the basement, squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his lips together as he felt the little remainder of hope floating away.

.

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><p>.<p>

**A/N:** This is...kinda sad :-(

But hey, at least one Forwood kiss...

Don't hesitate to tell me what you think... review please :-)


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I sadly still don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

...and Dalaric would stay the most reliable bromance ever!

A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews, they lighten my day! It's always great to read what you guys think about what is going on and what you suppose to happen next...

So, keep on reviewing; writers live for feedback...:-)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23<br>**

_Don't let go_

_ Never give up_

_.  
><em>

Wonderful Life by Hurts

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><p>.<p>

"There's live music at the Grill tonight!" Caroline blurted out as soon as she burst into the boarding house. "We _have_ to go there. Matt says the band's pretty good…"

Elena grinned at her friend. "Oh, does that mean you're gonna sing again?"

Caroline flushed. "Actually no; I don't have to declare my feelings to anyone…"

"That is so true…" Elena replied amused, thinking of all the times she had seen the blonde vampire together with Tyler during the last weeks. No one could possibly miss the fact that they loved each other.

"So what do you say? You guys coming?" Caroline paced to the liquor table in the parlor, pouring herself a drink as if it was her own stock.

Elena was involuntarily reminded at Damon at the casualness she saw her friend doing this, and her grin faded away. She hadn't seen him for almost a week now. She knew that he had been home every now and then, but she never had managed to at least catch a glimpse of him. He snuck in and out while she was sleeping or taking a shower or was not even at the house, as if his sixth sense told him when he could be sure not to run into her. What it probably did.

And she missed him.

"Elena!" Calling her back to earth, Caroline eyed her curiously.

"Huh?" Lightly wincing, Elena looked bemused at her friend; she had no clue what she had asked her.

The vampire curled up on a couch and took a sip. "I wanna know if you're coming to the Grill tonight. We haven't been dancing for ages!" she tried to tempt her.

Elena sat down next to Caroline and tilted her head aside, briefly considering the possibility of actually having fun tonight. "Uh, I…I don't know, Caroline. I'm not in the mood for dancing…"

"Oh come on, you can't know that if you haven't tried. You haven't been out since the Decade Dance, Elena. You need to do something normal" Caroline insisted.

Elena ran out of pretexts; however, she made a last attempt. "I don't think that Stefan is ready for it…"

"You're being ridiculous. Stefan's been out already, more than once, while you have buried yourself under your comforter. Quit finding excuses, Elena. Klaus is dead for three weeks now, and you haven't been out once to celebrate your regained freedom." Caroline gave her a pleading look now.

Elena sighed deeply; she couldn't dodge it any longer. "Okay, I'll talk to Stefan…"

"Yay!" Caroline clapped her hands and smiled brightly. "Everyone will be there. Bonnie and Jer, Tyler and I, Ric's coming and he's meeting Damon and Andie there…"

Elena's head shot up and she felt herself blushing. Caroline eyed her warily; when she saw tears springing into her friend's eyes, she saw her suspicion confirmed.

She inched closer to her and laid a hand on her arm. "He is the real reason." It was rather a statement than a question. Her eyes filled with compassion.

Elena swallowed and looked up at the ceiling to prevent the tears from spilling. She hadn't cried anymore since they had dug the hole that became Belle's grave, and she intended to leave it that way.

"Do you regret your decision?" Caroline asked quietly after a while.

The tears successfully bitten back, she stared into the crackling fire. "Part of me…every single day…" she admitted barely audible, not daring to say it louder; the louder she said it, the more it became the truth…

"So why don't you reverse it?"

Elena gazed at her with so much despair in her eyes that Caroline's heart ached for her friend. "I can't" she said. "I love him and he needs me. I just can't." She straightened up when she heard the front door opening and footsteps coming in. She shot Caroline a meaningful look, and then she smiled at Stefan when he entered the room.

"Hey, there you are" she greeted him.

"Here I am" he smiled back, bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead; then he straightened up again and addressed the blonde vampire. "Hi Caroline" he said smiling warmly. "Are you really here on your own? I thought you couldn't even breathe anymore without Tyler by your side…" he teased her.

She smacked him lightly against his chest and grinned, not at all embarrassed about her flushing cheeks. "Oh, come on, it's not _that_ bad…"

Elena found herself envying her friend to be able to behave that unbiased and careless toward Stefan; she still couldn't. She was not afraid anymore, so she didn't wince every time he touched her as it had been in the first days; that was something, at least. Although a constant awareness of the eternal, yet buried danger never completely left her. Seeing him with both her and his friend like that caused a twinge of pain about the loss of what they once had had; then again – this was the Stefan who she once fell in love with…maybe it was not as a bad idea to actually go to the Grill as she had thought…

Before she could decide otherwise she addressed him, gently taking his hand in hers. "Caroline told me there's a band playing at the Grill tonight. We could go there if you're up to…" she suggested and was genuinely touched by the bright smile that crossed his face. A memory flashed through her mind of the time before he had been with Klaus at the sight of that smile, and for the first time since his attacks she could remember the feeling she had for him back then.

And she wondered if she ever would be able to feel like that for him again…

.

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><p>.<p>

The music was playing loud enough that they could have sung along in the parking lot if they had known the song they were playing. Caroline was beaming, and she couldn't wait to be inside, clearly expecting to _finally_ see Tyler again, after unbelievably long lasting damn _four hours._

"Hey, Care, you're _dragging_ me…" Elena laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. "You're acting pretty much like the cliché teenage girl…"

"I _am_ a teenage girl, and it's not that it ever will change, so I can act all eternity like one if I want to…" Caroline shrugged it away.

She let go of Elena's hand and rushed up to the pool tables before Elena and Stefan even had entered the grill; she knew she would meet Tyler there, and Elena hadn't been surprised if she had blurred over in her haste to see her boyfriend again.

.

As soon as Elena had passed the threshold she spotted him.

He sat, _surprise_, at the bar with Alaric and…Andie, who chose that exact moment to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him, while his hands lay casually on her hips. Elena's stomach churned immediately, and she tried to look away, but she couldn't avert her eyes. Until she felt a familiar hand sneaking in hers, causing her churned stomach to turn into a knot. A big one. That big that she felt nausea creeping in.

With an effort she tore her eyes away from the blue eyed vampire, turning toward the green eyed whose hand she was holding, and the guilt washing through her veins almost overwhelmed her at the sight of his loving eyes on her. She forced herself to smile at her boyfriend, squeezed his hand lightly and murmured something about 'restroom', heading in this direction, leaving a puzzled Stefan behind.

Although Ric had waved to them as an invitation to join them, Damon hadn't even spared her a brief glance. He had had eyes only for his puppet.

Usually he always knew when she was there, as well as she always knew when he entered a room.

Tonight he hadn't even noticed her…

Why had she decided to come here? What had she expected?

And how the hell was she supposed to survive that night?

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><p>.<p>

Damon had seen her as soon as she had entered the Grill. He wasn't looking at the door by coincidence; despite the loudness of the music inside, he had heard them already when they still had been in the parking lot.

When he had found out that they were coming to the Grill tonight, he seriously had contemplated not to come. He had successfully avoided her for a week now, although she was practically living in his house; yet, the expected effect of feeling better had failed to appear. The longing for her had even increased, and tonight it had won the fight against his instinct of self preservation.

When Andie kissed him, he had to fight the urge to shove her away; then again it definitely helped him not to stare at Elena as she stared at him. However, hazarding a side glance he could see that she was holding his brother's hand, and his heart dropped. When she suddenly jerked around and dashed away he eventually turned his head to follow her with his gaze, taking in as much as he could of her within the few seconds until she disappeared into the restroom.

She looked pale and had dark circles under her eyes, and he could see that she had lost weight, too. He knew that she didn't sleep well; she still refused to share a bed with Stefan, instead she slept in one of the guest rooms, and he had heard her tossing and turning during more than one night. He really wondered why she still didn't go home to sleep in her own bed.

When she came out of the restroom she looked even paler than before, as if she didn't feel well, and his brows knitted together in concern; briefly considering walking over to her, the decision was spared him by Stefan approaching his girlfriend. He carefully laid a hand on her shoulder and thanks to his enhanced senses Damon could hear him asking: "Are you all right?" Elena looked into his face, and the elder brother saw her hesitating for a split second; then she wrapped her arms around Stefan's neck and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. Damon tried in vain to ignore the ice shards coursing through his veins.

"I'm fine" she said, determination audible in her voice as if she wanted to convince somebody, maybe herself. But…perhaps he was just reading something into it…

How the hell was he supposed to survive that night?

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

The band was good, and they were dancing and chatting and laughing, and everyone had loads of fun. Everyone except Elena, although she pretended to enjoy her night out immensely. She laughed the loudest and sung along seemingly cheerfully with the music; she even deliberately flirted with Stefan; still inwardly she felt cold, and all along she fought the urge to let her eyes wander to her boyfriend's brother.

And she refused to dance. For what ever reason she couldn't bring herself to go that step without really wanting it. So she found herself leaning alone against a wall, watching her friends having fun while dancing, even Stefan, who never had been much of a dancer.

And never before she had felt so alone.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Damon tried really hard to focus on something else. Anything.

But he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

The next time Andie embraced and tried to kiss him, he shrugged her off; she eyed him bemused and pouted exaggeratedly, and suddenly he couldn't bear it any more to be with her. Without thinking twice, Damon turned his face to her, locked their eyes and said: "You have to go home, you're very tired. Alone. Now." And in an afterthought he added: "And you won't come back to me anymore. We're done."

"I'm not coming back. We're done." she repeated monotonously. Damon nodded, broke the connection and threw his gaze at the brown haired girl again. Then his eyes narrowed a fraction, he turned back to Andie, grabbed her shoulder to draw her attention and stared her in the eyes again.

"And you're good with it." _God, when had he grown a halo?_ After watching her taking her purse and leaving with a friendly smile at him, his glance fell on his friend.

Alaric stared at him incredulously, arching his brows upward.

"What?" Damon snapped.

Ric replied calmly, still he was clearly surprised. "I thought she was your distraction."

"She was" the vampire answered gloomily. "It didn't work anymore."

Ric tossed a glance over at Elena and nodded.

Damon focused on her again, too and observed her quietly like he had done the biggest part of the night. He had seen her laughing and singing and flirting with his brother, and his heart had ached – for her; was he the only one who actually saw that her joyous behavior tonight was fake? That the laughter never reached her eyes? That sadness was emanating from her every pore? Even his brother seemed to be oblivious for her feelings; he was obviously too glad to see her laugh at all to question it.

"Damned, Stefan…" Damon growled, and once again he wondered if his brother still deserved her.

He was lost in thought, so it took him a while to get it to have heard something that was apparently addressed to him; he let his eyes wander, searching for the blonde source of words meant for him until he spotted her on the other side of the Grill; Caroline glared at him, and then he heard it again, hissed words audible only for him, since his brother, back on bambi blood at that, was nowhere to be seen right now.

"Damned, fight for her, you ass!"

Then, tossing him a last glare, she turned around and went back to her boyfriend.

Damon sat dumbstruck, eyes wide open, brows raised as high as if they tried to hide behind his hair, prickling coursing through his veins.

Maybe he was not the only one who saw her feigning.

And then he made a decision.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Elena stared at her watch for the umpteenth time, trying to force the hands to move faster only by her will. She wanted desperately to leave the Grill. She knew she couldn't pretend to be happy for much longer; that game demanded a great deal of her, and she was exhausted. Tiredly she leaned her head against the post she was standing at and closed her eyes. Home. She just wanted to be home, tucked in her own bed, the comforter over her head and sleep for the next three weeks, hoping that everything was fine when she eventually awoke.

It was then when she heard a familiar soft voice she hadn't heard for nearly a week.

"I want you to dance with me."

Her breath caught and her heart skipped a beat, only to race frantically afterward.

Her eyes flew open, and she looked straight in his face right in front of her. When their gazes met, the only thing she could think of was the longing to get lost in those blue eyes which could be so expressive and were now gazing at her with such intensity, that she instantly felt her stomach fluttering; she had missed him so much, she wanted nothing more than throw herself into his embrace and never leave it again, dancing or not.

Yet, she couldn't do that; she was afraid that, once in his arms she really wouldn't leave them anymore…So, as he had expected, she objected.

"Damon, I can't…" She was cut off by his finger on her lips. His gaze intensified _how was that even possible?_ and his voice cracked lightly. "Don't. Talk. Just dance with me."

She was not so sure that she was able to dance now; she could barely move and her legs were trembling. But when he grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor, she didn't object anymore, partly because her voice had abandoned her anyways; but another part of her, which grew bigger with each step they were taking with linked hands, wanted desperately to dance with him, no matter what happened afterward.

On the dance floor he wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her close to him. She felt him shivering, and then he pulled her even a little closer. The song the band was playing was not really a slow one and no one except them was dancing so close, but she was good with it.

And then they danced. He didn't have to pull her closer anymore; her body melted into his, and she didn't remember exactly where hers ended and his began. She was hyper aware of his hands moving on her back and her skin tingled everywhere he touched her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her hands slipped involuntarily to his head, tangling in his hair, and she turned her head into the crook of his neck to feel his skin on her cheeks. And the world around them vanished.

When the song ended, they remained embracing each other, standing still now for a few seconds; then he released her, stepped right behind her, leaving merely an inch distance, leaned in and whispered in her ear, brushing it with his lips: "You made the wrong decision, and you know it. This right now is the first time tonight that you're feeling good; and it's for sure the first time since weeks that I'm feeling good. You need to seriously think it over, Elena."

Elena stood paralyzed. When she realized that there were no more words to expect, she turned around and found herself standing alone. She glanced everywhere, but he was gone.

And when she had thought to feel alone earlier, she was proven wrong. _Now_ she felt alone.

Tears were streaming down her face, and she fled from the dance floor into the rest room. She leaned against the wall and her knees buckled; she glided down along the wall until she sat on the floor, embracing her legs, burying her face in her arms and let all the tears collected within three weeks wetting her knees.

He was right. She knew that; but it didn't change the fact that she couldn't leave Stefan. The picture of her pushing him over the edge again scared the hell out of her. She could not risk it.

The tears kept falling as much as she tried to stop them; at one point she became aware that someone was holding her, and she knew instinctively that it was Caroline. Elena hadn't even noticed when her friend had entered the room, let alone that she took her in her arms.

Caroline remained silent, and Elena briefly wondered if she had seen them dancing. After a long time she said just one sentence. "When will you finally wrap your mind around the fact that you don't have to feel responsible for everyone in your life, sacrificing your own happiness in the process?" After a while, when the tears eventually had stopped falling, she stood up, tugged Elena to her feet, dragged her to the mirror and pointed on it. "I want to see this face genuinely smiling again. So…do something. And now splash some cold water into your face, you need it. I'm leaving now, Tyler…" she trailed off, flushing embarrassed. "You can always call me when you need to, you know that, right?"

Elena nodded. "Thank you, Caroline…You're a good friend."

The vampire hugged her fiercely, grinned at her, waggling her head and rolling her eyes, and darted out of the room.

Elena examined her face in the mirror; Caroline was right. She didn't smile anymore, not genuinely. She tried to smile at her reflection in the mirror, but she failed miserably. She sighed deeply and turned the cold water on.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

When Elena eventually exited the rest room, she nearly ran into Stefan. He stared at her and grabbed her by her upper arms. "Where have you been? I was looking everywhere for you!" he snarled at her.

She was taken aback. "What? I was… " She trailed off, pointing behind her.

His face softened. "Sorry, I was…worried about you." His gaze drifted away, lingering at the bar for a moment. He let go of her arms and cupped her face instead. "I have to leave. Katherine texted me, she has a problem with the newbies…it seems as if one of them has darted off, and she asked me for help..." He eyed her insecurely, but was relieved to find her not at all disturbed by the fact that he wanted to help Katherine, of all persons. "I'm already late, can you ask Caroline to give you a ride home?" he pleaded, obviously lightly embarrassed.

Elena shook her head. "No, she left with Ty, and Bonnie and Jer left earlier, too. Don't worry, Stefan, I can walk home."

"No way" he replied fiercely. "Then…uh…"

"I'll take care of her" a much missed voice announced, and for the second time that night, Elena's heart skipped a beat at his popping up. Where ever he had been, suddenly Damon was back again, sauntering toward them. "Don't worry, brother. Go ahead; I'm quite sure Katherine's waiting for you impatiently." He smirked at his brother, and Stefan shot him a glare.

Hesitating for a split second, he turned to Elena. "Are you okay with that, Elena?"

"Uh…sure. I'm fine, Stefan. Damon's right, go ahead. I don't want to have a newbie on a rampage either. Go, help her."

"Okay then." He gave her a soft kiss on her cheek, and she fought back the urge to flinch. Not because she was afraid; she wasn't. But it seemed so…wrong…

With a last wary glance at his brother Stefan left the Grill.

Damon turned to her, holding out his bent arm for her and grinned. "Shall we?"

.

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><p>.<p>

A/N: So, what do you think will happen next? Review and tell me...


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Sadly I still don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

...and Dalaric would stay the most reliable bromance ever!

A/N: Thank you so, so much for all your wonderful reviews, they make me extremely happy!

So, I know that some of you guys are getting impatient about Delena...but hey! Damon finally decided to fight...

Yeah...about that...

Well.

Let's see what happens...Enjoy!

And don't forget to tell me what you think...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24<strong>

_Wake up, it's time_

_Little girl, wake up_

.

Losing Your Memory by Ryan Star  
>.<p>

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><p>.<p>

'Sure' she had said a minute ago.

She _so_ wasn't sure if this was a good thing…

She sighed. "Sure" she said again and, laying her hand in the crook of his arm, grinned back, determined to not let him see her insecurity.

He led her to his car, held her, all southern politeness, the door open and closed it behind her, rushed over to his side and threw himself on his seat.

Before he started the ignition, he tilted his head and watched her. "Chinese or Italian?" he asked.

"Huh?" Her brows shot up; she had no clue what he was talking about.

"You have to eat something. What do you prefer right now, Chinese or Italian?"

"Right now you should bring me home, Damon." She cast him a lightly annoyed glance.

"Oh, come on, Elena. I can almost look right through you, literally; you haven't eaten much during the last weeks, have you?" He said it airily, but she could see that he sincerely was worried, and she had to admit that he was right. However, she did_ not_ admit it.

"Of course I have eaten…"

"Drinking tons of coffee doesn't count as eating, not even if there's milk in there…" He started the ignition. "Well, I figure that means Italian. I know a cozy little restaurant where they make delicious macaroni and cheese…You made a good decision, for once." He smirked at her. She made a face at him in response, but she leaned back and relaxed, because for the first time in weeks she really felt…hungry.  
>.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

The 'cozy little restaurant' turned out to be really cozy and really little and really closed, which was not surprising due to the late night time. Undeterred by the closed door, Damon knocked at it.

"Damon, don't…" Elena tried to pull him back when they heard a key turning in the lock. The door flung open and a dark haired man appeared who looked exactly like the cliché Italian restaurant owner; not too tall, not too slender, a thick mustache hiding his upper lip, and sparkling dark eyes were watching them curiously.

"How can I help you?" he asked friendly with a sonorous voice. Elena looked abashed, but Damon greeted him nonchalantly.

"Hello Mr. Pavoni! I know, we are too late, but… may I dare to ask if you could make an exception? Look, my friend here" with that he wrapped an arm around Elena's shoulder and pushed her lightly toward the door, "is very hungry, and I think she really needs to eat something…" He leaned his head a little forward and said conspiratorially in a low voice: "She has lost her appetite lately, sad circumstances, you know, and I'm really worried about her; and I thought, maybe your wonderful macaroni and cheese…" He straightened up again, and his genuinely concerned looking face turned into a winning smile.

The restaurant's owner examined Elena, whose face had gotten crimson, and apparently he came to the conclusion that Damon was right; that girl obviously needed a good meal. He stepped aside and waved his hand in an inviting gesture. "Come on in; I'll see what we have to offer …" He closed the door and turned the key behind them and disappeared into what probably was the kitchen.

Elena glared at Damon. "You shouldn't have done this" she hissed.

His eyes narrowed, then understanding crossed his face and he raised a brow in disbelief. "You think I compelled him to let us in? No, Elena, I can be convincing only by being me" he asserted firmly. She could tell by a look in his eyes that he was lightly hurt at her accusation and felt instantly the need to apologize, but he cut her off before she could say a word. "But I sure as hell would have compelled him if he hadn't been cooperative…" The hurt on his face was wiped away and he smirked at her, and she thought about how much he had changed lately; not too long ago, he wouldn't have wasted time by trying to convince someone without compelling…

He led her to one of the four tables and pulled the chair out for her. Elena couldn't help but smile; she just loved it that underneath the surface of the ruthless vampire still lingered the southern gentleman.

Damon felt warmth flooding his heart at the sight of this smile; 10 minutes. It had taken him 10 minutes to elicit a smile that finally reached her eyes. And he didn't even know why she was smiling; it surely wasn't about one of his witty jokes, because he simply hadn't said anything, what in fact made her smile even more valuable, because she just felt like smiling...when she was with him. He settled on the opposite chair and returned the smile warmly.

The restaurant's owner came to their table with a bottle of water and two glasses. "We have only one portion macaroni and cheese left; would you like to have something else?" he addressed Damon; the vampire shook his head. "Just a coffee, please; I ate already earlier."

"Okay then, just one portion for your nice girlfriend."

"Oh, she's …" Damon began, but cut himself off when he saw Elena flushing.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Pavoni asked with raised brows.

"Never mind." Damon smiled at him, grabbed Elena's hand and, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, pressed his lips on its back. Elena tried to pull back, but, not for the first time, she couldn't move to break the connection she had to Damon. Still he released her hand without hesitation, and somewhere deep down, she felt the loss painfully.

When Mr. Pavoni brought her meal, the hunger of three weeks overcame her, and for the next minutes she focused only on her macaroni. Damon leaned back and watched her silently, a light smile curling his lips, contentment in his eyes; she did not only feel like smiling, she also felt like finally really eating when she was with him…

When her plate was empty, he paid the bill, thanked the friendly man once again, grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the restaurant. She expected him to go to the car now, but instead he went past his car along the street and around the next corner.

Elena cast him a puzzled glance. "Damon, where are you going? Your car…" she pointed over her shoulder behind them with her thumb.

"Shh…" he quieted her, a smirk back in place. Elena, being Elena, didn't let herself been quieted so easily.

"Damon" she said in that special tone he never could decide whether she meant it as an expression of anger, an accusation, an attempt to stop him from doing whatever he intended to do or simply as a question.

"Elena" he mocked, as he often did when she used that tone. When she just glared at him wordlessly, he sighed exaggerated. "Have a little patience, it's not far."

"What is not far?" Patience never had been one of Elena's strengths, let alone patience with something Damon had decided for her.

"The place where you can have some _real_ fun tonight…" He tossed her a grin, but she could see the sincerity in his eyes…_this right now is the first time tonight that you're feeling good…_He had watched her tonight. And he had seen right through her, had discerned her 'fun' as what it was. Stefan hadn't seen it…She swallowed and eventually was quieted after all.

After only a minute, in front of an old house, he laid a hand on the small of her back and directed her to a staircase leading down to a bar. She gazed at him incredulously.

"A bar? You brought me to a bar? Seriously?" This time her tone let no doubt about how she meant her words; she was clearly annoyed.

Damon glanced at her completely unperturbed. "Is there a problem? Don't tell me again that they won't let you in…" He opened the door and signaled her with a tilt of his head to enter.

Elena shrugged; she could as well go in, because… why not? She took a deep breath and stepped in. Inside she felt immediately comfortable; this bar was different from Bree's bar. It was a lot smaller and apparently a lot older. Although it was placed in the cellar of the old house it wasn't gloomy; it was illuminated with many candles, and the furniture looked old without being worn. The music was not too loud to talk, yet loud enough to dance, and it was well frequented, but not crowded. And, for once, it was not the Grill.

Damon led her to the bar and ordered a beer for Elena and bourbon for himself.

Elena addressed the bartender. "No beer for me, please. I want the same as he gets…" she corrected the vampire. He raised one brow, but said nothing.

"Have you been here before?" She eyed him curiously.

For a brief moment his eyes drifted far away. "Yes, about, uh, 80 years ago…" he said in a low voice to prevent eavesdropping.

"What?" Her jaw dropped.

He turned to her and grinned lightly. "I was surprised when I saw some weeks ago that here is still a bar, and" he looked around curiously, "it seems to be nearly unchanged in here. You know, it was a speakeasy, originally" he explained.

She nodded knowingly. "And I assume that you have been a regular guest…" she said, glancing at the tumbler in his hand.

He tossed her a lightly abashed glance. "Uh…actually…I was one of the owners…"

"What?" Her eyes got round like saucers.

"It was simply the easiest way to get hold of enough booze" he defended himself. "Everyone had his hands in one way or another in the production and trade of alcohol; I believe that never before and never after prohibition people have consumed as an amount of alcohol as during that time…" Damon gazed at her and was surprised about what he saw in her eyes; he detected curiosity, reproof, joy and sadness and…longing? He arched his eyebrows questioningly, and she reached over to him, gently cupping his hand, and involuntarily their fingers entwined. Their hands had been linked for such a long time, they still were used to this.

"There's so much I don't know about you" she said quietly.

He sneaked a look at their hands, then he cocked his head and nodded. "One and a half century surely is a long time to experience a lot…" he conceded. "But you know the essential…" he added, catching her gaze and holding it. When he saw her blushing he broke away and straightened.

"You can ask me about it another time. Right now we have to go to the juke box; the music sucks. Come on, let's change it…" Still holding her hand, he dragged her down from the bar stool, and together they sauntered over to the juke box, hovering over it for quite a while, debating and laughing and giggling and bantering about their choice of music; in the end they agreed to choose alternating 10 songs.

Before Damon put the coins into the slit yet, he suggested: "I pay, so I announce an extra rule. The last 4 songs we dance together, no matter what we chose, okay?" Their eyes met, and after a while Elena nodded and Damon inserted the coins. "Your choice" he deferred to her, and then they chose their songs.

When they were done, they downed another shot, threw some darts and chatted about anything and everything, avoiding only the mentioning of Stefan or their relationship.

They teased each other about their choice of songs or sung along loudly, they laughed, and for the first time since weeks Elena was feeling at ease. She hadn't been that relaxed and hadn't had so much fun for a long time…to be honest, at least to herself, since Atlanta. Five minutes... It had been those 'five minutes' that really had made her happy during the last year, and not much more thereafter, just tiny fragments of joy here and there; and in many of those fragments Damon had been involved… She pushed that thought aside; she wanted to relish this night and not think about it.

Then the first of their dance songs began. The first choice of both had been a rock song, and they were dancing apart most of the time, interrupted just by reaching for the other's hand sometimes, Elena being whirled around by Damon, briefly embracing for swaying together for a few beats. Elena's second choice as dancing song was slower, and they danced in a light embrace. Both bodies tingled equally where they touched, and they both averted their eyes as long as they could.

And then the last of their dance songs began, and Elena flushed…

When Damon had recognized the title of this song in the juke box, he couldn't believe it, because it was not really well known. But they once had danced together to this song, at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant… This should be destiny. Not that he believed in crap like destiny, but…you'll never know, right? So he chose it.

When the music began, he saw Elena flushing, and a slight smile sneaked on his face; she had recognized the song, too…

Their eyes locked, and he took her in a tight embrace without breaking the connection of their eyes. A tingling sensation spread through his body, coming from his heart and creeping up to his fingertips and down to his toes. Their faces only inches apart, he knew it was too dangerous; he couldn't push her right now. He broke away and closed his eyes, pulled her closer instead. Like in the Grill, he felt Elena burying her face in the crook of his neck, and his skin burned where her skin was touching his. He heard and felt her heart racing, and he shivered when she moved her hands on his back, up to his head. Everything in him longed to cradle her face in his hands and kiss her, but he knew it was too early; he would lose this fight if he couldn't wait long enough. So he still held off.

The song was way to short, and when it ended, they remained embraced for a moment. He heard her breathing unsteadily, and then she whispered into his neck: "Could you please bring me home?"

They detached from each other hesitantly and locked their eyes for a short while; long enough to make hearts flutter again, but Damon broke the intimate connection; he briefly caressed her cheek with his thumb, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and then reluctantly pulled away.

"Sure" he said, paced over to the bar and threw some bills for their drinks on the counter. He gently grabbed her hand, half expecting her to withdraw; instead their fingers entwined, and with a light smile on his face he left the bar, pulling her along with him.

And unnoticed, a glimmer of hope had sneaked its way to his heart again…

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><p>.<p>

It took Elena only a few minutes to notice that Damon wasn't driving to her house where she had asked him to bring her, and neither did he drive to the boarding house.

"This is not the way home…" she grumbled, flicking him a lightly disgruntled glance.

He blinked, looking surprised. "Isn't it? You don't say…" He tossed her a grin, but at the sight of her annoyance his face became serious.

"I just want to show you something. I don't need much time, and then I'll bring you home, I promise" he said quietly; when he saw her hesitating, he added: "Let me do this, Elena. Please." She eyed him warily and eventually gave in and nodded.

He drove them on a hill outside of the town; when the street changed its direction he pulled over and parked the car. He got off and blurred over to the passenger's side to open the door, holding a hand out for Elena.

She got off and looked around. "What are we doing here?" she asked bewildered; her annoyance had vanished and had been replaced by curiosity. He smiled at her, and her heart melted; it was this special smile that he solely gave _her_, the one that always made him looking so…human.

"Just trust me" he said and held out his hand for her; when she took it in hers, his smile widened and, fingers laced again, they silently walked side by side through the wood to where he led them.

After a few minutes they came to the edge of the wood and found themselves on the top of a hill, and Elena gasped at the view in front of her. A sea of lights was spread over the landscape – Mystic Falls. They stood there and watched down without saying a word for a while; Elena instinctively inched closer to Damon. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and, without thinking, she snuggled against him. Eventually she broke the silence.

"This is beautiful" she said in awe, and Damon smiled contently. He had been certain that she would like it; he knew that it was not only the beauty of the flickering lights; it was the fact that it was Mystic Falls, her home town where her beloved ones were living that made the beauty of it so touching for her.

"Yes, it is" he simply answered and gave her shoulders a light squeeze.

"You know," he began after a while, "I often came here when I was about your age, when it became…difficult at home. Of course Mystic Falls was by far not that big, and I had to climb up the hill by foot, so it took a little longer than today, but it was worth it. I always found…kind of peace here."

Elena gazed at him and was not surprised to find him with his guard completely down, his face open and vulnerable; and all the feelings she had for him rushed to her heart and magnified, until her heart felt as if it would burst every second, because she didn't know what to do with those feelings, and she began to tremble. Damon tightened his embrace and swallowed.

"I loved this town, it was my whole world; until Katherine popped up and shattered my world into peaces. When they hunted down the vampires, my love for Mystic Falls turned into hate." He turned to her, lifted her chin with his finger, searching for her eyes. "I once told you that on your porch. But then it turned out that I had poured my heart out to Katherine…" He spat out this name in thought of the last time she had betrayed him. "So I'll tell you again what I said that night after Founder's Day. When I came back here, I came to make Stefan's life miserable; but I also wanted to destroy this town that had destroyed my life, or so I thought." He let out an unhappy chuckle."I blamed the founders, not Katherine…But then, on Founder's Day, with the tomb vampires looking for vengeance, I somehow found myself wanting to protect the town…That night, I wondered how that had happened, but now I know."

He cupped her cheeks with both hands and gazed her in the eyes. "It's because of you. You turned my world upside down… hell, you turned _me_ upside down…You always believed in me, you always believed that there still is something good in me; and you fought against me and for me and with me to bring it out."

He inhaled deeply and realized that Elena was not the only one trembling."At first it annoyed me. I didn't want that, to be the better man. I wanted to stay on the easy road. But you were stronger than me. And you never gave up, no matter what I did to you. I don't know why you did it, but you always kept on fighting. And now finally I've learned that I don't want to have it any other way, not anymore. Even with all the bad feelings I'm currently struggling with…to dismiss those bad feelings means abandoning the good ones, too."

Bracing himself for the next words, he swallowed hard. "It means not to love anymore. And I never could live without the love I'm feeling for you, not anymore; not even if I have to take the hurt coming along, too. That's what you taught me, and I wanted to thank you for never giving up on me." Still cupping her face he pulled it a little closer, leaned in and placed a ginger kiss on her forehead, and like on Founder's Day, he struggled with the overwhelming need to really kiss her; yet, this time he didn't give in. He just held her gaze, and they stood like that for a long moment, sinking in into the other's eyes, until Elena drew in a shuddering breath.

"I'm glad." She merely managed to say, and then she crashed against his chest and buried her face in it, wrapped her arms around his middle, choking back tears again; even if it were tears of joy, she was certain that the loss she felt for three weeks now would turn them into tears of despair; and she definitely had shed enough tears tonight. Instead she clutched him as if her life depended on not letting him go now. And Damon enveloped her trembling body with his and held her steady.

As he had always done.

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><p>.<p>

They drove to Elena's house in utter silence; nobody said a word, but both were feeling comfortable with it.

Once they arrived, Damon as usual opened the car door for her and offered her a helping hand, and then he accompanied her to the porch.

At the door Elena turned her head and gave him a warm smile. "Good night, Damon"

He returned the smile. "Good night, Elena. Sleep tight; you had a good meal, you laughed…now I really hope you finally find some sleep…"

She frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked embarrassed.

He raised his brows. "Seriously? Elena, I _live_ in the boarding house…I can hear it when you're tossing and turning in your bed…I just wondered why you haven't come here to sleep, if you're not sharing Stefan's bed anyways…"

She flushed, and he noted this lightly confused; she had no reason to flush, unless…His eyes went wide when it dawned to him, and he took a step closer to her.

"You were there because of me..." he shot out, almost angrily. Her face that was now getting crimson confirmed his suspicion. His features softened; he hadn't intended to push her tonight, but right now he couldn't bear it any longer. He stepped even closer until he stood right in front of her and gingerly took her hands in his.

"Elena, I said it already once tonight, and I say it again now; you need to think about your decision."

Elena hadn't expected him to bring it up now, and she was not ready for this. Not tonight. She tried to interject, to backpedal and to squirm her hands free, but he quieted her with one look and held her firmly in place; once he had started it now, he wouldn't let her go before he had stated his point.

"All those months ago, I could accept that you were with my brother; yes, it hurt, but you loved him, it made you happy, and he deserved you. So I was good with it." He loosened his grip, let go of one of her hands, reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear like earlier. Then he grabbed her hand again and gently squeezed both hands .

"When you decided to stay with him three weeks ago, after what he had done to you, I wasn't so sure anymore if he really deserved you. And I wasn't quite sure if you still could be happy with him, because of everything we…" He cut himself off, breathed in and rephrased. "It's your life, and it was your decision. But then…" His eyes narrowed. "Look at you now! You can't eat, you can't sleep, and you're looking...god damn _sick_! I wasn't avoiding you during the last week because I couldn't see you with my brother…I did it because I couldn't stand to see you like this anymore!"

He swallowed hard to choke down the rising anger. Shaking his head lightly, his brows knit together, he gazed her in the eyes. "If you were happy, Elena, I would stand beside and watch like I did before; and I wouldn't say anything against Stefan. But, honestly, has he lost his sensibility? You're feigning all night long, and he doesn't even catch a glimpse of it…" She winced; she didn't want to hear spoken out loud what she had thought all along... He straightened, looking slightly disdainful. "Seriously, Elena, as long as you are happy I accept your decision; even with all what we've been through together, and with everything happening between us…But you're not. Not even close."

"Maybe one day I will be happy again; he loves me…"

Damon laughed an angry laughter. "You really want to wait for 'maybe one day'? Wake up, girl; you're not only a little unhappy, you're freaking _miserable_!" he spat out.

"What am I supposed to do, Damon? I can't leave him. I'm much too scared…" She glared at him, her voice growing louder now, angrier too. "If I left him…I'm afraid that this would push him over the edge again. I can't do that to him. Besides, I do love him…I will be happy again." She tried to sound convinced, instead it sounded rather contrived.

"You can't know if it would push him over the edge." Damon growled. "And what do you expect to happen? He loves you, and yet, you're not happy. What could possibly change your feelings? You might still love him on a level, but this love isn't strong enough anymore to tear down the fear that you've buried inside of you, and you know it. You're throwing your life in the bin, just like that. And you expect me to stand by and watch? I can't do that."

Damon felt her growing anger and he knew he was about to lose this fight; cupping her face with his hands, he tried it once again. "Elena, I just want you to think about it once more…"

Shoving his hands away she cut him off; and the despair she felt, because she _knew_ that everything he said was true made her yelling at him. "What do you want from me, Damon? I can't leave him. If he'd fall off the wagon again…I could never forgive myself."

Damon breathed in and out to calm down. Then he thought about the straw still buried in his heart. He could not give up yet. "What about me?" he asked quietly.

Elena was caught off guard, her heart skipped a beat and she blinked. "What about you?" Yeah, what about Damon? That was the point. _He_ was the point. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms, feel his tight embrace around her, just feel _him_…but she couldn't. She couldn't leave Stefan. No way.

She felt her resistance fade away, and she couldn't let that happen. So, helpless as she felt, she did what she never ever wanted to do to him again, just to stop it.

"This is it what it's all about? You just want me for you? Let me get one thing straight, Damon. I won't leave Stefan because I love him…You don't want to see that? Then go to hell!"

The moment the words had escaped her mouth she regretted them. But it was too late, the damage was done.

Damon reeled back and his jaw dropped. He stared at her with wide darkening eyes, and she thought that she never before had seen so much pain in his face. She wanted desperately take the words back, tell him that she had lied to him, that it was the only way to stop him arguing with her, but words escaped her. Only her eyes could have told him what she was feeling, but he couldn't see it anymore; his walls were forced up.

Elena, however, _did_ see something in his eyes for a split second, but before she could decipher what it was, he had blurred away.

The moment he was gone she knew what she had seen.

It was exactly the same what she had seen in his eyes the moment before he had snapped Jeremy's neck.

An ice cold fist clasped her heart.

This was not good.

Not at all.

And once again Elena was scared to death.

And once again, the one she feared for was Damon.

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><p>.<p>

A/N: Oh, Elena...

I had the speakeasy thing plotted long before Stefan and Klaus had been in chicago in S3...I thought about changing it, but it turned out to be impossible; I can't change Damon's past, can I? So I wrote it.

Don't forget to push the review button and tell me what you think...


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Sadly I still don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

...and Dalaric would stay the most reliable bromance ever!

A/N: Wow! So many awesome reviews...That was amazing! You really made my day, you guys! Please go on like that, that's what keeps me writing...

I hope all your bruises from banging your heads on your desk are healed again...

So, let's see what happens...

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><p><strong>Chapter 25<strong>

_And though it hurts me_

_ To see you this way_

_ Betrayed by words_

_.  
><em>

Temptation by Moby

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><p>.<p>

She stood on the porch, frozen.

Her entire awareness focused on the two big stones in her body. One was sitting where her stomach used to be; the other one had replaced her heart. Nothing else mattered.

Until her brain decided to work again. And she wished it hadn't.

It revealed everything to her the momentarily numbness had allowed her to forget.

And it nearly broke her.

As she had broken him.

She had screwed it up. What had been the best thing ever happening to her in her entire life – she had monumentally screwed it up. Just because she was too scared to let it happen. Too scared to risk it, too scared to take the consequences, too scared to let a _real_ vampire in her life, more than he was in it anyways. To let him in completely, with everything coming along.

She got that now.

Stefan, her fear of pushing him over the edge – that was just a part of it. The main problem wasn't the fear for Stefan. It was simply the fact that she was crept out about the realization what it really meant to be a vampire. The two vampires she was living with for nearly a year now, the one on bunny diet, the other one mostly in complete control, had made it easy for her to forget about that.

But the recent events had torn it to the surface. And she was sure…no, to be honest, she _knew_, if she'd let him in her life, in her heart, more than he had been in before, she'd never be able to walk away anymore. _If__ it__'__s __real, __you__ can__'__t__ walk__ away_…This decision would change her life irreversible. So much more than being with Stefan had changed it.

And it simply crept the hell out of her.

And now she had lost him.

She barely realized that her shaky legs could merely carry her weight, and she managed to stiffly take the two steps to the stairs; descending them, she almost tripped over her feet; she caught herself, clutching at the banister, and sunk down to sit on the stairs with pounding heart.

How could she? How the hell could she have done this? After everything they had gone through together, after everything they had experienced together…He had always been there for her to catch her, to protect her, to comfort her…He had opened up to her like probably never before in his long life, and she…she had stabbed him right in his heart. Even worse than that.

He would never forgive her.

What was she supposed to do now?

Where was he?

Where could he be?

She had to find him. As fast as possible.

She forced herself to focus on the issue to search for him. Shutting down the churning part of her mind that was preoccupied with accusing herself, she focused on the part that was capable of calmness even in crisis. The very small part, right now.

What would he do now? He was in his worst state of mind. She had seen him like that only once; that night he had broken the first neck he could find apart from hers, which had been Jeremy's.

Would he do something like this? Go to her house and kill her brother again? Or someone else she loved? No, he never would. It wasn't about revenge. He never had been someone for revenge. He was hurt; beyond hurt. What did he do when he was really, badly hurt? She tried to remember the times when that had happened. The first time she thought of was the night Emily had destroyed that crystal. He had attacked Bonnie, immediately when the surrounding fire hadn't burnt anymore. He hadn't killed her, because Stefan had intervened; but he hadn't even tried later; it had been simply an emotional act.

After he had found out that Katherine hadn't been in the tomb he had been just paralyzed. Then the night when both Katherine and she had told him that it would always be Stefan…She cringed.

And then? Rose. The night Rose had died in his arms.

And suddenly she knew what to do. She jerked up and practically flew to her car, and there was just one thought left in her, and it coursed through every vein and every nerve and every cell.

Damon.

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><p>.<p>

_Go to hell._

That's what she had said. _Go __to __hell._

What was he thinking?

_I won't leave Stefan because I love him._

How the hell could he ever had thought that she would choose him? It had always been Stefan…

Really? No, not really. The last weeks, she'd had doubts. More than doubts. She had been frightened of Stefan, but that hadn't been the only reason.

He thought about the straw that he had buried in his heart for weeks. She had offered him what became his straw when they were in the intermediate world, before Stefan's attacks. Before the fear had pounced on her. There had been more between them; it hadn't been just a figment of his cruel imagination.

He stopped his vamp speed rush in the middle of the wood he had blurred in to get as far away from her as possible, to get somewhere she could not follow. Just in case she wanted to.

Of course he had seen the regret in her eyes. He was not blind, not even in rage. He knew perfectly well that she regretted to have hurt him. She had been angry about him pushing her. And had lashed out. In the most effective manner she knew. And she knew him well.

A part of what had happened he could chalk up to an overreaction in anger. It was not that this would make him feeling any better, because, maybe for the first time, he had the feeling that he did not deserve this; not tonight. Tonight he hadn't pushed her to challenge her, after all. But…well; at least he could understand it. Overreaction was kinda his middle name. He had invented this concept. _Go__ to__ hell_…yeah, it hurt, but he could understand it.

That left over the worse part. _I__ won__'__t__ leave __Stefan__ because__ I __love__ him_…He slammed his fist against the tree trunk next to him. How could he not have seen that? She never had stopped loving Stefan; not even the fear she was feeling of him could stop this _epic_ love. And he knew that she was still afraid of his brother, even if she didn't admit it to herself. She didn't flinch anymore if he touched her; but what was left was a shift of awareness. She knew now what he was capable of; she had experienced it on her own, in the worst way possible. He had witnessed how Stefan had shattered her trust in him. She worked on putting the pieces together again, but it would never heal completely, it would always remain… just repaired.

But above all, she still loved Stefan. What had grown between _them_ since _that __night_…it had sufficed to confuse her. He really had thought she was still with Stefan mostly because she felt the need to prevent him from falling off the wagon again. That she was afraid to push him over the edge again, like she had said tonight.

He had been wrong. She simply still loved Stefan, more than she had known herself, maybe. And he pushing her had involuntarily helped her to realize it.

Again he punched his fist against the trunk; the wood splintered and dimly he discerned a piercing pain at his hand. And suddenly fury rose up in his throat again, mainly directed against himself, because he had pushed her too early; fury that added to the rage that had settled in his heart since her words had hit him; the rage that with an effort he had suppressed, in an attempt to deter him from doing something he knew he'd regret later, because she didn't want him to.

But he had pushed her away anyways. So he could give a damn on what she thought about him.

A deep growl escaped his throat and turned to a cry of rage that sounded through the wood, and again and again he slammed his fist against the tree.

_Go__ to__ hell_…He had lost her.

His eyes darkened and the veins underneath his eyes protruded. He felt his fangs emerging, and, except for fights and the two times he'd drunk from Elena, for the first time in weeks, maybe months he didn't force them back. Why should he? _Go __to__ hell_…The one reason had abandoned him tonight. He felt bloodlust creeping through his veins, a bloodlust that could not be satisfied with blood bags, but only with giving in to the urge to hunt and kill.

His vision blurred, enabling him to see only two pictures: Elena throwing those words in his face and him on the prowl.

His reddened eyes glinted with lust and a covetous grin bared his fangs, and in a flash he was gone.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

She saw the car standing on the roadside from far; the headlamps were still beaming brightly, lighting the first trees in the wood next to the street.

What caught her attention, however, was merely to be seen, because it happened in the darkness the clouded sky covered the street with, which seemed even darker with the dazzling light of the car nearby.

She saw it nonetheless; it was what she was searching for, anxious to find it and, equally strong, anxious not to find it.

Elena shut down the ignition and got off the car. She hesitated only a second; then she approached the scenery that made hear heart fluttering in relief of having found him and pounding of fear to be too late at the same time.

There he was, a dark figure crouching on the street, holding the limp body of a dark haired woman in his arms; his head still bent over her neck, blood trickling from his mouth over his chin, dropping down on her collar bone now. But not feeding anymore. Frozen.

In a few yards distance she stopped. She knew he would never hurt her; but she was not stupid enough to risk it.

Not tonight, not after what she had done to him.

"Damon."

She said his name in a low voice, tenderly. He tensed.

She stepped a little closer, tentatively.

She had rehearsed a speech on her way to find him, had ditched it and rehearsed another one. But all words were blown out of her mind now.

All words but the essential.

"I'm sorry."

He slowly lifted his head and turned, ever so slowly, toward her. When their eyes met, Elena's knees nearly buckled. Underneath the blazing red bloodlust in his eyes lingered a sadness that cut right through her heart.

And she had evoked this sadness.

He turned his attention back to the limp body in his arms, let his eyes wander to the punctured bite marks he had left on her neck, lifted his hand and brushed her hair out of her face. Then he lowered the woman slowly, gently on the ground, rose and stood there, frozen again for a few seconds, watching his prey. Then he turned lightly toward Elena, but changed his mind, halted and, all of a sudden, blurred away.

Elena watched him vanishing in the dark, and desperation paralyzed her.

She had lost him.

She sighed deeply and fought back the brimming tears; then she turned her attention to the body lying on the street. Hesitantly approaching the woman, she dug for her cell in her pocket and dialed a number.

"I know, it's late, but…Caroline, I need your help…"

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Caroline needed only a few minutes to come to the rescue. Elena breathed in with relief when her friend got off her car and rushed over to her.

She sat on the ground, holding the unconscious woman's head in her lap.

"She's still alive…"

"Weird 'hello'…" Caroline ignored the desperation emanating from Elena, focusing on the woman she was holding. She lifted her hand to brush the dark hair aside, examined the tiny wounds on her neck and felt for the pulse; gingerly she pulled up one of the woman's eyelids to look into her eye. Then she turned toward Elena, giving her an appeasing smile. Gently resting a hand on her shoulder, she said quietly: "She's okay. Her pulse is strong…he didn't drink too much."

Elena gaped at her friend with wide eyes, confusion etched on her face.

"Then why is she unconscious?"

Caroline shrugged and looked on the woman again. "I figure someone was a little scary? He was upset, I guess?" she asked cautiously, eyeing her friend thoroughly now.

Elena swallowed to push the knot down that suddenly had built in her throat. She nodded hesitantly.

Before she could tell Caroline anything, the woman on her lap began to move slowly and then opened her eyes. When she saw the two girls' faces hovering over her, confusion sneaked into her eyes that even deepened when she detected that she was lying on the ground, her head bedded on one of the girls' lap. She began to look around and saw her car at the roadside.

"What…" she said, and then she cut herself off when realization hit her. Elena could practically see how the events of the night rushed back into the young woman's mind. Her eyes went wide, fear appeared on her face, her hand shot up to her neck; what she found there turned the fear into horror. She opened her mouth and let out a piercing shriek.

The sound, however, was stifled immediately by a cool hand clasping over her mouth. Her terrified looking face turned to Caroline, who took advantage of the opportunity to catch the woman's gaze.

"You're not afraid. You will drink a little of my blood, and then you'll get into your car and drive to where ever you wanted to drive; and you won't remember anything of what had happened here." She spoke firmly, and the young woman relaxed. The vampire lifted her hand to her mouth and bit in her wrist that she held at the woman's mouth then. Obediently the dark haired gulped down a few drops from the blonde's wrist. When she had enough, Caroline nodded, pulled her wrist away and began rummaging in her purse, searching for a tissue to wipe away the blood on neck and mouth. Then both girls helped the woman to stand up, and the vampire shoved her gently toward her car. She got in and drove away without a glance backward.

With a deep sigh Elena sunk down on the street again; Caroline, much more gracefully, sat down beside her. She gently placed a hand on Elena's thigh and gazed at her.

Elena stared at the concrete in front of her without discerning anything. "I made such a freaking big mistake…" she whispered more to herself than to her friend.

Caroline's eyes filled with compassion. "What happened?" she asked sympathetically.

Elena lifted her head and narrowed her eyes, looking questioningly at her friend, and answered with a counter question. "How did you know it was Damon?"

Caroline snorted. "Please. Who else could it have been? He's the only vampire in town who is that controlled…I couldn't do that, and Stefan…" She trailed off; it was not necessary to say more about Stefan. "Katherine would never bother to stop after such a small amount of blood, and the newbies…are newbies."

Elena couldn't let it drop yet. "But…who ever it was could have been interrupted…"

Caroline grabbed her hand and held it firmly in her own. Their eyes met. "Elena, he has heard you coming long before you saw him. If he'd wanted to drink more, to drain her dry even, he'd have had time enough . Trust me, he stopped by choice."

Elena felt the tension slowly fading. She looked into the darkness where he had left.

He hadn't lost control. Despite everything that had happened, he hadn't killed his prey.

"He kept control for _me_…I have hurt him that much, and he still did it for me…" The words came out of her mouth as a merely audible whisper. Caroline gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"He loves you…"

Elena turned her head toward her friend again and gazed at her, and various feelings showed up on her face in quick change: surprise, cognition, incredulousness, and then…a hint of happiness.

"Yes, he loves me…"

She jumped to her feet. "Caroline, I have to find him…" she urged.

The vampire stood up as well, raising her hands in a mollifying gesture.

"Wait, Elena; I'm all for running after the guy you love and apologizing, I mean, if it's necessary, and I still don't know what had happened actually, but I have that feeling it could be…well…I'm babbling" she cut herself off and drew in a deep breath. "What I'm quite sure about is that he won't drain anyone dry tonight. If he didn't do it with her" she waved her hand in the direction the woman had driven away, "he won't do it at all; not tonight, at least." She laid her hand on Elena's shoulder in an attempt to hold her grounded. "Maybe he needs a little space right now…"

Elena looked at her friend and considered her suggestion, and she had to admit that Caroline was probably right. She had found him and he had run off again. She sighed and nodded. Caroline wrapped her arm around Elena's shoulder. "Come on, let's get to my house; I'll make us hot chocolates and you tell me all about what had happened…"

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

To his relief Damon found the boarding house empty when he came back home. He strode to the parlor and flung his jacket on a couch. Angrily he grabbed a decanter and reached out for a tumbler, decided otherwise and drank bourbon directly from the bottle. Gulping it down, he closed his eyes and savored the burning sensation in his throat. After having taken another gulp from the decanter he grabbed eventually the tumbler, poured two fingers bourbon in, sat the bottle back on the liquor table and stepped over to the fireplace.

He still stood there, starring in the crackling fire, when Stefan came back from his mission to find a newbie on the run. He tensed. He was not in the mood to see anyone, least of all his brother. Damon desperately hoped that Stefan would leave him alone if he just ignored him, but sadly his brother seemed to be oblivious for the tension in the air.

Stefan strolled to the liquor table and poured himself bourbon in a tumbler as well. Then he joined his brother in front of the fire place. Damon closed his eyes in defeat; obviously baby bro was in talking mood. He sighed.

"Mission accomplished?" he asked not really interested; the newbies were not his problem. One damn thing at least that wasn't…

Stefan nodded. "Eventually…we found him after he had killed three people…"

Damon let out an unhappy chuckle. "Someone was on the roll, huh? Makes one of us, at least…"

Stefan stared at his brother, then he furrowed his brows and examined him thoroughly. "Are you okay?" His voice sounded concerned now.

Damon shrugged. "On cloud nine…"

Stefan's concern increased. "Is everything okay with Elena?"

"Yes, Stefan, everything is okay with Elena. She's probably sleeping soundly" he asserted impatiently. For the first time tonight he turned to watch his brother; looking lightly disgusted he added: "If she finally finds some sleep, that is."

Stefan narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Really? Oh, come on, Stef. You're not telling me that you haven't even noticed that she's not sleeping?" Damon huffed contemptuously.

Stefan opened his mouth to answer, but changed his mind and turned back, staring into the fire again. For a while neither of them said a word, both lost in thought. Just when Damon began to relax a little, hoping that they were maybe, _maybe_ done talking tonight, Stefan shattered his hopes.

"She's different lately" he said quietly, and despite himself Damon was slightly touched by the sadness in his brother's voice; but this emotion was short-lived. After briefly contemplating his words, Stefan added: "She seems to be a little…unhappy…"

Damon snorted and eyed him incredulously. "A little unhappy…?" he repeated, shaking his head in disbelief. Was that all he saw? Really? A little unhappy?

Stefan turned now to watch his older brother. "What happened when I was…away?" His voice was still low, but now laced with a hint of a menace.

Damon arched his brows. "You know what happened. We tried to find you."

"I know that." Underneath the calmness in Stefan's tone lingered a scarcely hidden dangerousness. "That's not what I meant."

Damon felt the carefully suppressed fury of earlier rising to the surface. "Don't start with me, brother. Not tonight" he warned without even bothering to hide his anger any longer. Stefan stepped closer, seemingly unperturbed by his brother's annoyance; he only saw that he still hadn't got an answer to the question that burned inside of him since he was back.

"What I want to know is what happened between the both of you. You're both acting different. And you've been avoiding her for a week now. What happened between you, Damon?"

"You wonder why she is different lately and you automatically blame me?" Damon fumed now. "Do you really think that has nothing to do with you trying to kill her? Nothing?" His rage pushed him forward, menacingly invading Stefan's private sphere. Stefan instinctively recoiled, but then stood his ground against his older brother when he defended himself.

"She's not afraid of me. Not anymore" he insisted.

"Yeah. Whatever makes you sleep at night" Damon scoffed and turned away, downing his bourbon, slamming the tumbler on the table and immediately refilling it. Against his hopes, Stefan hadn't forgotten about the still not given answer to his question. He followed Damon, and before he could even take his glass Stefan grabbed his upper arm and yanked him around, forcing his brother to look into his blazing eyes.

"What. Happened. Between. You?" His voice had lost all calmness; it was trembling in fury now. With a rushed movement Damon squirmed free and stepped away, but Stefan went after him and jerked him around again. Damon shoved him a few steps back and glared at him.

"A: Don't touch me. B: What do you expect me to say? We were together in this witchy crap world of creepiness to receive those little rocks to get _you_ back and kill Klaus in the process."

Stefan watched him suspiciously. Narrowing his eyes he demanded: "That's it? Nothing else happened?"

And all of a sudden Damon had enough of hiding and pretending. Stefan had nothing to worry about, Elena had chosen him again. Picking a fight could maybe release him from the fury still raging inside of him…He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Nothing important" he said casually, "we just…kissed."

Stefan was over him in a flash, his hands at Damon's throat. Damon of course had expected that; he punched his fist against Stefan's head, over and over again, until he felt the grip on his throat loosen. The same moment he yanked Stefan's hands away and had his brother pinned against the wall before he could blink.

Hands on his throat, their faces only inches apart, Damon hissed: "Don't worry, brother. She chose you. I'll step aside, as always. But if you _ever_ hurt her again, I'll be there, and I'll end you. And I will know about it, where ever I am."

He pushed himself away from Stefan, rushed over to where his abandoned tumbler still waited for him, downed it in one gulp and, with a last glare toward his stock-still standing brother, left the parlor to go upstairs.

This had not been the kind of goodbye he had pictured.

.

* * *

><p>AN: Still sad... :( But there's a glimmer of hope...

Tell me what you think...don't forget to push that blue button below...


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Sadly I still don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

...and Dalaric would stay the most reliable bromance ever!

A/N: So, I hope all of your depression wrinkles have soothed again...

I know. It was sad. But hey, on the up side - Elena has at least tried to clean up the mess she made...and she finally got a clue...

MANY thanks to my awesome reviewers! It's SO good to read what you think about it!

Here it goes...

**.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 26<br>**

_It hurts to be here_

_ I only wanted love from you_

_ It hurts to be here_

_ What am I gonna do?_

_.  
><em>

Breathe Again by Sara Bareilles

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

He could smell her scent in his room.

Of course it was all over the boarding house; but it had been three weeks now that she hasn't been in his room, and still he could smell her here.

And although he was incredibly tired, sleep failed to come to him.

He laid on his bed for hours now, his head resting on his interlaced fingers, staring at the ceiling. The sun had already risen, and still he fought against the mind churning pictures; continually he lost that battle; they kept haunting him.

His decision had been right. He couldn't stay any longer.

It had been hard all those months, but at least he could watch her being happy.

The past three weeks had been much harder. Watching her feeling miserable, keeping his hope in check, longing for her touch whenever he saw her and longing for seeing her whenever they were apart…it had been almost unbearable.

Now, after what had happened tonight…he needed a break. A long break, maybe. Two or eighty years…

He closed his eyes in an attempt to finally fall asleep. Instantly her face showed up in his mind, smiling at first, and then…

His eyes popped open again and he jerked up and jumped on his feet. He didn't want to see this anymore. Sleep was overrated anyways.

He paced back and forth. It would be so easy. The loss, the pain, the despair…just one push on the button and all those devastating emotions were gone. It was tempting. The need was strong; however, he fought it back. He wanted to feel. He'd told her the truth on the hill last night. He didn't want to miss the love he felt; not even with the amount of hurt that had crashed against him merely half an hour after having said this.

He refused to do it.

He strode over to his closet, grabbed a few random clothes and threw them into a bag he pulled from a lower board; then he went to his bathroom and did the same with his toiletries.

He placed the bag on his bed, plunged two books in it and closed the zipper.

With a sigh he sunk on the edge of his bed.

It was harder than he had thought to leave. To leave her behind.

He thought about what else he left behind, and to his surprise there was more than he had expected.

He would miss the Grill; weird enough. His bed room, too. He never was one for settling down, never needed a place to root. Yet, his bed room, actually the whole boarding house, for the first time in many lifetimes, had become a place where he felt…home. A feeling he was not familiar with, but he could have gotten used to it.

But above all he'd miss a few people; Jeremy for sure; he had grown to him, somehow. Caroline? Definitely. She was nothing like the puppet on a string he had toyed with anymore. She had grown really strong. He briefly thought about her interference last night. She had been wrong …_really?__ He__ still__ couldn__'__t__ completely__ quiet__ this__ nagging__ voice_… but she had kicked his ass to stand up and fight. He would miss her, although he would never admit it to her. Hell, he even would miss Bonnie. A little.

Alaric. That was the part that …hurt. He hadn't had a friend for decades. If not longer.

Ric really was his friend. He sighed again. Maybe he wouldn't stay away from here as long as he had thought, after all.

And Stefan…

But for now he had to leave.

He couldn't stand it anymore.

He pushed himself up from his bed, grabbed the bag and left his room. Descending the stairs he found himself relieved that Stefan wasn't up yet. He was not at all in the mood to see him now, and he certainly didn't want to deal with what ever would be his brother's reaction to his leaving. Not now. He'd text him later.

He considered for a second to pay his bourbon stock a brief visit, but decided otherwise. He could get a coffee and a shot at the Grill; he hoped fiercely to meet Ric there, having breakfast as he often did. He felt like owing it at least his friend to say good bye…

He paced through the hallway, pulled the front door open, stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind him. Then he rushed to his car.

He left the boarding house without a glance back.  
>.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

Elena woke up with a start. She didn't know if there had been any noise causing the sudden end of her sleep, but she doubted it. Caroline was sleeping soundly next to her, and as all vampires she was a light sleeper; she would have woken up, too.

Elena glanced out of the window and realized with relief that finally the night was over. It had been a very long night even before coming home; and then they had drunk hot chocolate and talked a lot. When they eventually went to bed, Caroline fell asleep quickly. Elena couldn't sleep for hours. She should be used to it actually, since she hadn't really found sleep for weeks now.

But tonight was worse. The pictures of what had happened tonight haunted her.

The fear of having lost him for ever grew with every minute she lay on the bed. The unbearable fear of not being able to fix it.

The longer it took her to fall asleep the more she got antsy. Repeatedly she had to fight back the urge to pull on her clothes and drive to the boarding house. What held her back in the end was not so much Caroline's suggestion to let him some space. It was the need to talk to Stefan first. She owed him that much. But she couldn't quite sneak into his room in the middle of the night and wake him, saying 'wake up, honey, I want to break up with you', right?

The thought of dumping him made her stomach turning into a knot, but one brief look at Damon showing up in her mind pushed the fear of breaking up with Stefan aside forcefully.

She needed to do this; there was no turning back anymore.

After glancing on her watch she decided to finally get up. She grabbed her clothes and began to sneak out of Caroline's room to let her sleep when she heard her tired voice.

"Do you want me to come? I mean, in case of Stefan…loses it? You know, when he's on bunny blood I can take him…Just saying." She rubbed her eyes, suppressed a yawn and eyed her friend cautiously.

Elena gave her a wry smile. "I don't think that I'm gonna need it."

Caroline nodded; she didn't really think that either. "You can call me any time; I'll be there in a flash, okay?"

Elena rushed over to her friend and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Care; you helped me a lot lately…" Caroline hugged her back, but said nothing. Eventually Elena left the room with a last smile toward the blonde vampire and went to the bathroom to dress herself.

When she was done she glanced at the mirror. She observed her face warily. Did she really want to do that? She pictured Stefan in her mind. Ignoring the thought of the ripper who had tried to kill her, she focused on the warm and caring man she had been together with for nearly a year now. They had gone through a lot together. For a long time she had felt safe with him.

This feeling was gone. She wasn't afraid anymore. But she didn't feel safe either.

Unwillingly the picture was replaced by the image of his older brother, and her heartbeat began to increase instantly. There had never been a time when she hadn't felt safe with him. Not even in the beginning when she had first met him. And there was so much more she was feeling for him…

Involuntarily she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. _I __want__ to__ see__ this __face__ genuinely __smiling __again__…_

Yes. Finally she had made the right decision.

She drew in a deep breath and set off, leaving the Forbes house.

On her way doing the right thing.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

He spotted Alaric the very moment he entered the Grill; unsurprisingly he sat where they were mostly sitting. Damon sauntered over to the bar and hauled himself on the bar stool next to Ric.

"Ric!" he greeted in the lightly mocking tone as he often did. Tilting his head he eyed his friend's breakfast, and his eyes stayed rooted on his coffee mug. Briefly contemplating whether he should drink coffee or bourbon he decided not to decide. Turning his head to the bartender, he ordered: "A coffee, please. And bourbon. Neat." Seeing Ric's arched eyebrow, he added, addressing him: "Coffee for breakfast; sort of. Bourbon 'cause I need it."

Ric nodded.

They sat in silence for quite a while, both letting their minds wander. Damon sipped on his coffee the bartender had brought meanwhile and thought about how much he enjoyed those meetings with Alaric, even now. Man, how he'd going to miss them.

Eventually Ric broke the silence. Tossing Damon a side glance, he nodded once toward his bourbon. "Gonna tell me why you need it?"

Damon shrugged. "Do I need a reason?" he countered.

"It's early. Even for you." Ric narrowed his eyes and had a closer look at his friend. "You look like hell."

Damon raised his brows, rolling his eyes briefly, and shrugged one shoulder, but said nothing.

Ric had a hunch of what could be the reason for the vampire's bad constitution. "What happened?"

Damon stared blankly on the bar and snorted slightly. "Elena" he simply said.

"Yeah," Ric nodded, waiting patiently if there'd be coming more of an explanation.

Damon watched his tumbler now, seemingly finding it very interesting, swirling it's content, trying to hide his feelings. It turned out to be a futile try, as he detected by casting a side glance to Ric, seeing compassion settling on his face.

He sighed. "She made her decision" he said in a clipped tone and added: "Irrevocably."

Ric found himself suddenly envying women. Whenever one was sad, a friend could comfort her by embracing her, holding her hand or what ever they did. Damon, his friend Damon didn't look sad. He looked devastated. And he couldn't do anything to comfort him.

"Do me a favor, Ric." Damon still didn't look at his buddy, but from the corner of his eye he saw him nodding lightly. "Keep an eye on her. Please." he said, and Ric noticed that he had to fight to keep his voice steady.

And suddenly Alaric got it.

"You're leaving…" he said stunned and stared at his friend in disbelief. When Damon now slowly turned his head toward him for a moment, their eyes met, and right now Ric caught a glimpse of how Damon truly felt.

And against his better judgment, he gently laid his hand on his friend's arm for a while. And Damon didn't shrug it off.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

She reached the boarding house a few minutes later, and the first thing she saw was Stefan's car. Only Stefan's car. Damon's Camaro wasn't there. She had noticed that he obviously had fetched it when they had passed her house tonight on their way to Caroline's home. Worry furrowed her brows. It should be here now, right? It was too early in the morning for him to be elsewhere. It's not that he was working in an office or some crap like that. Where was he? Hadn't he been at home tonight at all?

Determinedly she pushed the rising fear aside; she couldn't care about that now. She needed to focus on what she was about to do.

She squared her shoulders and knocked on the door. Stefan opened mere seconds later; he had heard her coming. When her eyes fell on his face she was taken aback. It was like the night when Jenna had stabbed herself all over again. Like that night she could see that he had cried. What the hell…with a side glance toward the empty parking lot it dawned to her that maybe something had happened between the brothers last night, and she felt her stomach jittering nervously. He gaped at her with unbelievably sad eyes.

"You know…" she whispered, eyeing him cautiously. And with that she saw a slight flicker of hope she hadn't noticed before ceasing, and his shoulders slumped lightly. Unwillingly she had given him the confirmation he never had wanted to receive.

He stepped aside. "Come inside…" he said. Elena had expected his voice to sound broken; instead she was surprised about the firmness emanating from him now. She went inside the house and followed him into the parlor. She sat down on the edge of a couch; he took a seat in an armchair across from her. She felt awkward, like an unwelcome stranger in the house she had lived in for weeks.

After a long moment she broke the silence. "What happened, Stefan?" she asked quietly.

He gazed at her, and he couldn't completely suppress a silent reproach in his eyes.

"You tell me" he replied, his voice sounding a little challenging now.

She closed her eyes briefly to brace herself. When she opened them again she saw him swallowing, choking back tears, maybe. He knew she was here to break up with him. He wanted her to be honest, at least. He deserved that. So she cut right to the chase.

"I fell in love with your brother." Her voice was a little shaky; it was the first time she spoke it out loud at all, and it had to be Stefan of all people who had to hear it first…

He closed his eyes in defeat. He had known it since the fight last night. Despite everything Damon had said, he had known it. But it was worse than he could ever have imagined hearing her saying it.

"I'm sorry…" she added quietly, compassion mingled with a trace of guilt spreading over her face.

He nodded and reopened his eyes. "I tried to kill you…" he whispered.

Elena nodded just once, and her voice was firm now. "Yeah, but that's not the point" she replied. "It's not that I'm still afraid of you. I'm not. And it's not because he saved me. I fell in love with him long before you…left."

His brows shot up. "So you lied to me? Whenever you told me you loved me, and I had nothing to worry about, you lied to me?" The feeling of betrayal was written all over his face now.

"No, of course not!" Elena said firmly. "Of course I loved you, Stefan, and I still do. But I have realized that my love for Damon is…different. Stronger. I didn't want this to happen, because it scared me so much, and because I loved you. So I denied it all the time and tried to turn it into feelings of friendship. But I never lied to you, because I told you what I had decided to believe, what I needed to believe."

She hoped fiercely that he understood what she was telling him and that he believed her.

"Look, when you were gone I was sad, I missed you, I feared for your life and I was scared of losing you for good; but I never really was…devastated, as I had expected to be. I was frightened for you to lose your humanity; still, to be honest…I could picture a future without you. It was a sad picture, but I could stand it." She breathed in and out and shifted uncomfortably. She knew she would hurt him even more with her next words. But he had to know, so that he could understand.

"The thought of losing Damon – it makes me stop breathing, and I can't think clearly. I don't want to lose you. But I _can_ not lose him. Under no circumstances. If he was gone…I would die. You would probably force-feed me, but I'd be dead inside, and I never would recover." Stefan's eyes went wide at her words and sudden realization flew over his features.

They were interrupted by her cell going off, and after a brief glance on the display, seeing it was Jeremy, she dodged it. She gazed at Stefan and their eyes met. The pain in his eyes hurt her, but to her relief she couldn't detect the desperation she had feared to find in it.

"When did you find out about all this?" he demanded quietly. Elena stared into the fire for a while. It was difficult to answer this question; she didn't know the exact moment when she had found out what she was really feeling. She turned to Stefan and took his hand in her own.

"I think it started when Damon was dying. When you told me about the werewolf bite…it was the worst moment in my life. Then you said you would go to Klaus to try and get a cure, and I told you not to go…but everything in me was screaming 'Go!' I was scared for you, but I…" She was cut off by the knot that suddenly built in her throat by the vivid memory of that night.

Stefan nodded silently. He rose and paced to the fireplace, grabbed the poker and stoked the fire with it. Then he turned to warily watch Elena.

"Damon told me tonight that you chose me…"

Elena straightened up. "So he was here tonight?" she asked, instantly getting flustered by the thought of the absence of his car. When she saw Stefan's expectant face she sighed inwardly. "That's what I told him tonight. But it was a lie…I only realized my mistake when I said it. And then he was gone…"

Stefan nodded again. Their eyes met, and for a long while neither of them said a word. Then he settled on the armchair again, grabbed her hands and squeezed them gently. He watched her thoroughly, searching her face for her true feelings.

"You really do love him, don't you?" he asked gingerly. Elena was caught off guard by the tenderness in his voice, and eventually the long suppressed tears welled up in her eyes.

She nodded. "I do" she whispered.

He sighed deeply. "I love you so much Elena…All I want is for you to be happy. You weren't happy with me anymore, I know that. I hope you will be with him…" The tears fell now, and he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her fiercely. It was an embrace for good bye, and it was the very first embrace since his return that simply felt…right.

After a while they were interrupted again by her cell phone. Hesitantly they detached from each other and she glanced at the display. This time Jeremy had texted.

'Call me. Important.' the display read. Elena cast an apologizing look toward Stefan and dialed her brother's number.

"What is it, Jer?" she asked a little disgruntled; this was not a good time to be interrupted.

Jeremy answered silently, and she heard rustling, probably caused by him moving in an attempt to get out of earshot.

"I don't know if you know that, and I don't even know if…yeah, I think you _should_ know."

"Jeremy…" Elena became very impatient; something was off, and it made her nervous not to know what it was.

"Damon's here…"

Elena's heart dropped; sure, he had to be somewhere. But it was not a good sign that Jeremy thought she should know it. Her brows knit together in concern.

"Where is 'here', Jer? Is he okay?" she demanded, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

"Bonnie and I were having breakfast here when he came…"

"Jer!" She almost yelled now.

"At the Grill. And…I think he's leaving…" he added quietly.

"What?" Elena's heart began to beat frantically. "What do you mean? Leaving…where?" she whispered. She didn't mean to whisper. Actually she wanted to shout; yet, her voice had another opinion and had left her. Her vision blurred. She knew the reply before Jeremy could say a word. She cleared her throat and forced the voice back into obedience. "I'll be right there. Try to stall, Jer…" She hung up and jumped to her feet.

"Stefan, I'm sorry…" she tossed him another apologizing look and was relieved to find him smiling slightly.

"Go, Elena. It's okay. I'm fine…I will be." He gave her a reassuring smile, and suddenly she felt love for him rising, and she bent down to him and hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you, Stefan. For everything you gave me. And for letting me go." She gazed him in the eyes, and then she cupped his face with both hands and pulled him closer to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. After a last glance she straightened and turned toward the hallway. She didn't see the two lone tears anymore, silently tracing over Stefan's cheeks. With a few rushed steps she was at the front door; she pulled it open and, like little more than half an hour before Damon had done, left the house without a glance back.

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><p>.<p>

When she arrived at the Grill's parking lot she looked out for the Camaro, but it wasn't there. Desperation rose up in her throat; what if she had missed him? Would she know where to find him? Not if he didn't want to be found. And what was the point of leaving the town if not for disappearing?

Elena rushed into the grill, and her glance darted to the bar immediately. She saw Ric sitting there, alone. Elena's heart clenched; she looked around, searching for her brother. He sat in a booth with Bonnie; without Damon. He gazed at her, shook his head, heaving his shoulders; then he tilted his head toward Ric, signaling her that her best bet to find out anything would be him. She turned to the bar and went over to Ric. He had seen her meanwhile, too.

"Where is he, Ric?" she demanded nervously.

Ric examined her facial expression thoroughly; what he found there made him wonder why Damon had been so convinced that her decision had been irrevocable. Still, the image of his broken friend vivid in his mind, he couldn't spare her a lightly accusing question.

"What the hell have you done, Elena?"

She grabbed his arm with both hands, scared to be too late. "The biggest mistake I ever could think of. Please, Ric, where is he?" she urged, fighting back the need to punch him just to make him answering her faster.

Compassion flew over his face for the second time today. "He's gone. He came here to say good bye to me, I think, and then he left town, and he didn't leave an address. I'm truly sorry, Elena, but I'm afraid you're too late."

Elena paled and faltered at his words.

"Whoa! Easy"" Alaric wrapped his arm around her middle to steady her, but the weakness was only short lived.

"Don't you have any idea where he could have gone?" Hope rose in her; Ric was his friend; if he'd tell anyone where he wanted to go it was Ric.

He shook his head. "Nope. I have no clue."

She stared at him with wide eyes, and desperation threatened to overwhelm her. She leaned against the stool he had sat on just a few minutes ago and tried to calm down. Her mind was churning. Where the hell could he go? If she knew the direction, she could simply follow him…But she had no idea. He could go anywhere.

He had come here to say good bye to his friend. Maybe there was someone else he wanted to say good bye? Was he…maybe he was looking …for herself?

And suddenly a thought occurred to her mind, and she pushed herself away from the bar stool. She had a chance.

She knew where she could try, at least.

And without a glance back she rushed out of the Mystic Grill to her car.

On her way to find the man she loved.

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><p>AN: *sigh* still no Delena...but there's hope!

Also: Brave Stefan, huh? Seems as if he truly loves her...

Tell me what you think...push the button!


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Sadly I still don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore...

...and Dalaric would stay the most reliable bromance ever!

A/N: Thank you sooo much for your awesome reviews! Kimberleii: I couldn't reach you, your PM is deactivated, and I don't have an e-mail address; maybe you can contact me per PM ?

So, I know you all want to know if she has the right idea and will reach him in time...

Let's see then! Enjoy! And don't forget to push the button below...

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><p><strong>Chapter 27<strong>_  
><em>

_.  
><em>

_I have a dream for you_

_ It's better than where you've been_

_ It's bigger than your imagination_

_ You're gonna find real love_

_.  
><em>

Family Tree by Matthew West

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><p>.<p>

She pushed the pedal to the metal; it didn't even occur to her mind that she was breaking rules, not to mention the threat she was posing to the public. She couldn't care less right now.

There was room for only one thought. She couldn't risk missing him.

Just in case she was right.

Her hands clutched the steering wheel until her knuckles went white, her heart kept pounding against her chest; she was not able to relax the slightest. She sat leaning lightly forward, as if it helped to accelerate the car as support for her foot on the pedal.

What if she wasn't right?

What if he already had left Mystic Falls?

What if he already had left her?

She would never find him. Like they hadn't found Stefan. Had he not attacked her, they'd still keep looking for him now.

Her best hope was to find Damon before he left town.

Maybe her only hope.

She approached the edge of the wood now, and her heartbeat even increased, although she hadn't considered that possible. She pulled over and got off the car. She held her breath while her eyes scanned the parking lot for his car; tears shot up when she realized that it seemed to be her fate not to see the Camaro today.

She stood frozen for a while. He wasn't here.

She had lost him.

Then, all of a sudden, she released the breath she hadn't been aware she was still holding, straightened up and forcefully slammed the door shut with a loud thud.

No. She wouldn't give up that easily.

She would go until the very end. There was a tiny chance left; maybe he was here by foot. He didn't really need the car for short distances like that, right? Using vamp speed he was as fast as any car could be, inside of a town at least.

She squared her shoulders and headed to the place all her hope was focusing on.

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><p>.<p>

She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted him.

He stood unmoving, his back turned to her, his head lightly bent down. Her mind flashed back to the day he had shown her this place that still, after more than one and a half century, was so important for him that he had to come here to say good bye. It had been here, at his mother's grave, that he had opened up to her for the first time.

Her heart beat erratically, and her stomach twisted. Even without seeing his face he looked…lost. It was her fault. She had done this to him

A mixture of emotions washed through her body at his sight; relief, guilt, hope, fear, shame and, above all, love.

She had found him.

Now she needed to convince him to stay.

They both stood without moving, the tension floating in the air between them growing almost tangible. Elena drank in the sight of the man in front of her as if she hadn't seen him for a long time, the dread to never see him again still within spitting distance. She had so much to tell him; but she was scared out of her mind not to find the right words.

So she didn't say any word.

Until she finally broke the silence, her voice quiet and shaky, laced with fear of losing him.

"I do."

He tensed.

And remained silent.

"I remember." She swallowed down her fear. "Everything. As you asked me for."

His head moved nearly imperceptibly. He was torn. A part of him wanted to ignore her or, better yet, will her to disappear, taking along the temptation to let her in again, against better judgment. The other part, however, wanted desperately to give it a try. _Pathetic_…

"I memorized every single word we said, every single touch we shared, every emotion I felt with you and every emotion I saw in your eyes…everything." She stepped a little closer, tentatively. "But I didn't do it because you asked me for. I did it for me. How could I forget about any of this?"

Clenching his jaws, he lifted his head a little. Why the hell was she here? Why had she to rub it in? The memories were vivid and torturing enough without her bringing them up…When he spoke for the first time, his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it for days.

"Obviously it meant nothing to you…"

Elena breathed in sharply. She'd done a hell of a lot of damage to him…

"How can you say that? You know that it's not true."

Damon spun round and glared at her. "Do I know?" His blazing eyes lingered on her face for a moment before he turned back. "I don't know anything, Elena. What ever I thought to know turned out to be wrong."

"Damon…" Elena took a few steps toward him, but halted when she saw him tensing again. "I'm sorry for what I said last night …"

"I know. I got it. I pushed you, you didn't like it. You made your decision and shoved me away. It's okay, Elena. I got it."

With a few fast steps she closed the distance between them and placed her hand on his back. Instantly the skin of her palm began to tingle, and she wondered briefly how she could even notice that right now. She felt the muscles underneath her hand tensing again, but this time she didn't care.

"You got me wrong..." She started softly, but was interrupted.

Damon whirled around again, shrugging her hand off in the process. "How could I get _that_ wrong Elena?" he snapped with flashing eyes. "You made yourself very clear."

She flinched. "I was scared…" she said, desperation rising up in her. This was getting completely out of control.

"As if I haven't heard that yet. You were scared to push saint ripper Stefan over the edge again; blah blah blah…" he scowled. The part that wanted her to leave grew stronger; he really, _really_ didn't want to hear again how scared she was about his _brother_.

Elena felt the desperation slowly turning to anger. "That's not what…"

He cut her off impatiently. "Elena, I heard you and I got it. Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I want you to listen to me!" Elena shouted at him, shoving her hands against his chest. "That's not what I was scared of." She breathed in deeply to calm down. He used the brief pause to turn his back on her again and cut her short. "I don't want to hear it."

Elena stared at him, feeling incredibly helpless for a second. Then she asked quietly: "Why didn't you turn it off?"

Damon blinked; he was caught off guard. "What?"

"Why didn't you turn it off? Isn't that exactly the thing Damon Salvatore would do, turn it off to not feel the pain? So why didn't you?" she challenged him; she knew she was walking on dangerous ground, but she had to try to lure him out from behind his walls.

He turned his head to watch her, his eyes a little insecure for the first time. _What__ the__ hell_…

"I told you."

Elena stepped closer. "Tell me again." She said firmly.

Furrowing his brows he studied her cautiously; what did she want to achieve? He'd have to play along to find out. "I don't want to lose the … good feelings along with the bad ones."

Elena nodded. "And how long did it take you to understand that?"

His eyes skimmed over her face, trying to figure out what she was up to; eventually he swallowed and his gaze latched on hers. "Almost 150 years…" he said softly.

She nodded and raised her hand, laying it gently on his shoulder for a moment; this time he didn't flinch. "It took me almost one year to understand."

Cocking his head Damon asked hoarsely: "What are you talking about?"

Elena inhaled deeply; now he finally listened. "I told you I was scared, and I really was. I just didn't quite understand what I was so scared of. I obviously had to think that I lost you to grasp it…" She felt tears welling up and swallowed them back. Damon, feeling his restraint fractionally ceasing at her words, remained silent, his eyes locked with hers.

"And apparently I needed to be attacked by my boyfriend…Seeing Stefan, my loving, caring boyfriend as a ripper, who was even capable of attacking me, of killing me…"

She let out an unhappy chuckle and her gaze broke away in the futile try not to let him see how much the thought of the attacks still pained her. Still, he didn't have to see for knowing it. She swallowed, and Damon resisted the urge to take her hands in his own to comfort her.

"That showed me for the first time what it really means to be a vampire. For the first time I caught a glimpse of what is the true nature of a vampire. Stefan crossed a line I never thought one of you would ever cross, neither Stefan nor Caroline or you."

Elena breathed in and out, giving Damon the opportunity to say something, but he still didn't. Frowning he turned his head, looking on his mother's tombstone again, but Elena could tell that he was listening intently.

"For the first time I really understood, that you all are fighting against your instincts on a daily base, that you are all walking on a wire. And that it's only a thin line to cross for your instincts to break through. And the thought of letting one of you irrevocably in my life scared the hell out of me."

It was then when Damon chimed in for the first time. "But you let us in your life almost a year ago..." he said, brows furrowed, looking lightly puzzled.

"Yes, I let you in. But never completely..." Elena tried to explain, but was interrupted by Damon, who was still irritated. "What could be more than being with someone?" he argued, staring at her again.

"That's what I thought for a long time; until I noticed the difference." Their eyes still locked, Elena's gaze intensified, causing an immediate prickling reaction in Damon's stomach.

"I don't understand..." he whispered. He still didn't know what it was all about, but he felt slowly, slowly the tiniest glimmer of hope that had abandoned him last night sneaking its way back into his heart.

Elena fiercely hoped to find the right words for the next part. "Lexi told me once, that when it's real, you can't walk away." Damon winced slightly by mentioning her name and broke away again. "All this time I thought what Stefan and I had was what she meant; I loved Stefan, and I still do. But I know now, that if it had become too much one day, I always could have walked away from him. It would have hurt, but I could have done it. That way I hadn't to be afraid, of none of you."

She lifted her hand and placed it on his arm in an attempt to emphasize her words with that gesture; it was important that he understood what she said, so she repeated: "With Stefan…I was on the safe side. And last night you pushed me to reverse my choice, but I was too frightened to give up the safety, so I…shoved you away, because I didn't know what else to do."

Damon felt everything falling back in place again…_and__ here __he__ had thought __he__ really had __gotten __her__ wrong,__ maybe_…He turned to her, glowering now. Elena reeled back, her jaw dropped. He grabbed her upper arm ruggedly. "You still feel safer with him? After what he'd done to you?" he spat out, and with a contemptuous glance at her he added: "So much for you trusting me." He turned and took a few steps away from her. Elena narrowed her eyes. Something was really going wrong here.

She followed him and grabbed his arm now, forcing him to turn back to her. "Weren't you listening to me? I _always_ felt safe with you!" she shot back.

Damon glared at her, his face a cold mask now. "Yeah, clearly" he scoffed. "Then tell me again, Elena, why reversing your choice means giving up safety."

Elena cast him a killing glance. "Stefan is the safe choice for me because I can walk away. With you…it's different…" Words escaped her.

His features soothed, the coldness was wiped away by flickering hope.

"Why?" he asked hesitantly, holding his breath.

"When Stefan had gone, I found out at some point that I could picture a future without him. But you…the thought of you dying brought me back to life and made me drinking your blood after Stefan's attack. The thought of losing you makes me stop breathing, and I can't think clearly anymore. You're a pain in the ass sometimes, you made me angry countless times; but you don't flinch only because you know that I'm going to be mad at you. You're not afraid of fighting with me although you're scared to death of losing me. You respect me for everything I am and I do, even for those things that make me being a pain in your ass. You don't treat me as if I'm about to break down every minute, but when I do, you're there without hesitation, no matter the price you have to pay. You know me in a way no one else does, not even me. You make me laugh even when I'm scared. You make me feel alive, and I can't lose you."

She drew in a shivery breath and loosened the grip on his arm she was still clutching. He stared at her, his eyes glowing in amazement about her outbursting speech. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't even blink; he was frozen. He could just stare at her. Holding his gaze, she placed her palms gingerly on his chest and felt his heart beating as fast as her own. But she wasn't done yet.

"You're not the good guy, I know that. But you're trying to change, and you do it just for me. Not because you want to achieve anything, not to make yourself look better in my eyes, not for me to like you more; but for me to be happy. You're impulsive and selfish and do bad things, but you're also thoughtful and caring and selfless; you're so much more than everyone else is seeing, because you don't want them to see. But I do. And I need you to be with me. I can't let you go away…If you were gone, I'd be dead inside. …And I will never be able to walk away from you anymore, Damon. And that's why you're not the safe choice for me. And that's what scared me so much…It's scared me to know that, while I understood what it really means to be a vampire at the same time. Letting you in completely means accepting the bad feelings coming along, too. And it forces me to deal with those feelings; I can't close my eyes anymore like I did until now. Last night I finally grasped it that I don't want to shut down the bad feelings because I can't live without the good ones…I don't want to push that button anymore."

Now she was done. She had no more words. She had said everything she needed to say and everything she could say. Anxiously with pounding heart she waited for his reaction, any reaction that indicated whether he had understood what she was trying to explain or she really had lost him.

Damon gazed at her, eyes wide open, lips lightly parted, stunned; his stomach fluttered; he drew in a deep breath; at least he could breathe again, enabling him to say something. His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"What are you saying, Elena?" While waiting for her answer he bit his bottom lip; his emotions nearly overwhelmed him, and he was clearly struggling to keep them in check.

Elena watched him; she saw the change in his face, and tears filled her eyes; and this time she didn't fight them.

"I love you, Damon…"

He wanted desperately haul her into his arms, embrace her and kiss her until she couldn't breathe anymore. But he still couldn't move. He could only gaze at her face as if he never had seen it before; and, really, he hadn't. Because this was the face of Elena _loving_ him…

"Say that again…" he whispered.

And while her tears began to fall, a happy smile crossed her face; with one step forward she closed the small remaining distance between them and cupped his face with both hands.

"I love you, Damon Salvatore."

As if her touch, or it might have been her smile as well, this smile he had waited for so long, had woken something in him, he could move now. Slowly he lifted his shaky hands up to hers, covered them for a moment and let go of them again only to cup her cheeks. He gingerly pulled her face a little closer and gazed into her eyes, and what he found there was so undoubtedly love, that a familiar tingling feeling spread over his body; he shook his head slightly as if he couldn't believe it.

"I love you, Elena; I love you so much…"

He inched closer, ever so slowly, until his lips brushed hers. He pulled back for a moment, gazed at her face again, his eyes lingering for a second on her lips, and then, finally, his lips crashed on hers. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, felt her racing heartbeat mingling with his own. Their lips parted and their tongues met, caressing each other; he felt something flooding his veins he was not familiar with, but he knew it was happiness. A happiness so pure he never had felt before, because he was kissing Elena, and she was kissing him back and she _loved_ him…He pulled her a little closer, his hands ran over her back. One arm curled tightly around her middle then, he let his other hand glide on the back of her head, fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her head even closer. He felt her hands slipping along his neck, her arms twining around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

Dimly he discerned that his face was getting damp, and he thought it were her tears, until he realized that his eyes were spilling, too; and he didn't care. His lips left hers to saunter over her wet cheeks, catching one of the tears with his bottom lip. He pulled back a little, just far enough to look into her face again, as if he needed to reassure himself that she still was good with kissing him, that she really meant what she had said. She opened her eyes and they met his, and he could see that she was more than good with it. At tat he captured her lips with his own again, and then, slowly, he lifted her up and began to whirl them around; he let go of her lips, and he laughed.

And it was the sound of his laughter that made her feeling an amount of happiness she never had felt before, because never before she had heard him laughing like this.

At some point, whirling and laughing got too much even for Damon; he lost his balance and they fell on the soft forest floor beside the tombstone. Laying there, both out of breath, tightly embraced, Damon slowly came to his senses again. He propped himself on one elbow, lifted his hand to her face and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. He couldn't keep his eyes off of this face; she always had been beautiful, but with eyes shining with joy like this…

Caressing her cheek, he bent down and kissed her again.

He would never have enough of this...

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><p>.<p>

After a long while, Damon carefully hauled them both to a sitting position, leaning against the tombstone, still embracing each other, neither of them ready to let go of.

Elena looked around and grinned lightly. "Shouldn't we find it a little…odd, to be here…I mean...cuddling on a cemetery?"

"What, do you have a problem with dead people, Elena?" he teased her.

She laughed at that. "Not as long as they still can walk around…"

"Ew, you're going for zombies? That's weird."

She slapped him lightly against his chest, but he caught her hand, lifted it up and placed a gentle kiss on it. Then his lips traced along her arm over her shoulder to her neck, causing a shiver running down her spine. They lingered briefly at her jugular vein, causing a slight change in his breathing, and then they found their way up to her lips again.

Breaking the kiss after a while, he pulled her in his arms again. Her head resting against his chest now, he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"You know, every time when I'm here," he murmured into her hair, "I have this childish vision that my mother can see me. I like the thought that she finally can see me…happy."

Elena pulled back and gazed at him, understanding written all over her face. Yeah, she knew that comforting thought.

One arm still securely wrapped around her middle, he caressed her face with his other hand. "My mother…she would have liked you."

She smiled at him and snuggled in his arms again. Then she said: "After what you've told me about her, I'm sure that I would've liked her too…"

Damon nodded, and then, tightening his embrace fiercely, he blurted out: "I'm so glad that I brought you here that day…or else I'd be gone by now…"

"So am I…" He could hear that she was fighting with her emotions like he did. Holding each other tightly, they fell silent, calming down in the awareness to be, after all this time, with the person they loved.

.

As much as he would have liked to leave the elephant in his room, after a few minutes Damon couldn't longer ignore the thought of his brother. Eventually he broke the silence.

"What does that mean for Stefan?" he asked, and he couldn't prevent the remainders of fear slipping back in his voice. Elena raised her head to look at him. He didn't know yet…

"I broke up with him."

"Come again?" His brows shot up.

"I broke up with him." Elena repeated smiling. Two hours ago the thought of breaking up with Stefan had hurt. Now, it felt just…right. She was aware that it would certainly hurt again. But for now, she simply was much too happy to be here, with Damon.

"When?" he asked, still looking bewildered.

"When you were at the Grill, saying good bye to your friend." She gave him a wry grin. Damon thought about last night when he was fighting with Stefan, and he couldn't help but feeling compassion rising. "How did he take it?" he asked softly.

Elena glanced at him and grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly. "Surprisingly good." She frowned. "He knew it already when I arrived at the boarding house…What happened between the two of you?"

Damon snorted. "Funny. He asked me the same thing…"

Elena gasped when she realized what that meant. "What did you tell him?" She held her breath while waiting for his reply.

"I told him that we've kissed…" He cringed. "I'm sorry, Elena, I was… but I also told him that you chose him…what in fact doesn't make it any better, now that we…" He gazed at her, worry in his eyes. "How could he have known…?"

"Maybe he hasn't lost his sensibility after all…" Elena turned, kneeling beside him. She took both of his hands in hers and caught his gaze. "He knew all along that there was something between us; he knows us both well…He knew that I wasn't happy with him anymore; when you told him that we've kissed…Damon, he let me go. Remember what you told me? As long as I was happy you were good with me and Stefan? He wants me to be happy, even if it's with you."

Damon swallowed, a trace of insecurity appearing in his eyes. "Are you? Happy?" he asked quietly.

She let go of his hands and framed his face with hers. "Yes" she simply said. She leaned in and gave him a long kiss. He enfolded her in his arms and pulled her down on his lap without breaking the kiss. The intimate touch causes his body to react; Elena, sitting on his lap, noticed it and a smile flew over her face; then she discerned another reaction; she opened her eyes and saw the lightly protruded veins, and then she saw them disappearing again.

She broke the kiss. "Don't" she said. When he didn't answer, she added: "Don't force them back. Don't hide from me. It's a part of you…"

"It's the part you don't like…" he said hoarsely, but she cut him off with her fingertips on his lips.

"No, Damon, that's where you're wrong" Elena corrected him. "You said I would've liked your human self in 1864. I don't know that, because I never had the chance to get to know this Damon. The Damon I fell in love with is today's Damon. The vampire in you is a part of what makes you …you. It's the part of you that sometimes makes you doing those bad things I don't like. But it's also the part of you that saved my life and those of my friends countless times. So I honestly can't say that I don't like the vampire part. I love you, just the way you are."

Damon gritted his teeth. "Elena, I can live with blood bags and all that; I did it for months now. The urge to kill…it's there, but I can fight it. Mostly. But when I'm upset…I snap. I lose control…" Damon said, feeling jittering anxiety creeping through his veins, not sure if she really could handle his honesty. He lifted one hand and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "I can't promise that it won't happen again…"

"I know that. Then I'll have to deal with it; that's what I finally learned last night. And I probably will always be mad at you if it happens, and then you'll have to deal with me yelling at you."

"What if I hurt again someone you love?"

"You won't. Besides, that's part of the risk I have to take, because I can't walk away anymore…but you won't." She let her fingers run through his hair, laid her palm gingerly on his cheek for a moment and let it glide down on his chest where it rested. "Tell me about last night. What happened with the woman?" she asked quietly, eying him cautiously.

He winced slightly and briefly closed his eyes. "I didn't want you to see that…" he said quietly.

"But I did. It was my fault, after all, and you don't have to keep me from those things, Damon…what happened?"

"I thought I'd lost you…I was so…" He swallowed. "I wanted to kill her. I really wanted…But then…" He turned to her, searching for her eyes. "I couldn't."

Her whispering was scarcely loud enough to be heard. "Why?"

"When I fed on her, a thought crossed my mind, a thought about…if she left someone who loved her…and then I thought about…you…" he swallowed again, fighting with his emotions. "Dammit…"

Elena didn't even bother to fight the threatening tears. Yet she couldn't help but smile. "I really screwed you up, didn't I?"

He breathed in deeply, took her head between his hands and gazed into her eyes for a moment.

"Yes. You really screwed me up, Elena. And I love it."

And then he pulled her head closer and kissed her, and as the kiss deepened, his arms sneaked around her back again, pulling her into a tight embrace, making it very clear that he would never let her go again.

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><p>.<p>

A/N: Yay! She found him! Finally! I really hope it was worth the wait...

We're almost done. Just an epilogue following...

It will probably take a few more days than usual, school starts on Monday after two weeks of vacation...

Tell me what you think and leave a review...


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Sadly I still don't own anything. If I did, sure as hell Delena wouldn't be just FanFic anymore…

…and Dalaric would stay the most reliable bromance ever…

A/N: So. Here it is. The last chapter. Sorry for the delay, kinda rough week…

A huge THANK YOU to all my fabulous reviewers and to those who put me on alert or even fav! You were the reason for keeping up! It was a hell of a ride, but you made it one of the best experiences I ever made! Okay, my family hates me meanwhile, and I barely remember the names of my kids at school, but it was worth it. For me, at least.

For those of you who aren't as addicted to the show as I am and therefore didn't recognize: All the songs at the beginning of each chapter are songs form season 1 and 2.

A special thanks to Kymberleii…:-)

Let's have a look at the last chapter now…Enjoy!

Don't forget to review…

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 28<span>**

Epilogue

_You give the strength to me, a strength I never had_

_ I was a mess you see, I'd lost the plot so bad_

_ You dragged me up and out, out of the darkest place_

_ There's not a single doubt when I can see your face_

_.  
><em>

Give Me Strength by Snow Patrol

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><p>.<p>

"Thanks for giving me a ride, Care. Good night!"

Elena throws the door shut, watches her friend's car leave and turns toward her house. She's about to climb the stairs of the porch when suddenly strong arms capture her from behind and someone whispers into her ear: "Got ya."

Her body goes rigid, her heart stops beating and her stomach lurches instantly; until the realization set in that scent and body of her attacker are familiar to her. She slams her elbows against him and, when the grip on her loosens a little, she spins around, violently punching her fists against his chest in a drum roll, well aware that it doesn't bother him anyways; but it helps a little to take the edge from the anger she's feeling right now.

"Damon! How could you do that to me! You scared the hell out of me…" she hisses, glaring at him. He still holds her tight, but lets her continue to rage; he has at least the decency to look a little guilty, but of course he doesn't apologize; instead he grins at her. "Well maybe that teaches you not to be outside alone at night. Aren't you afraid of the things that go bump in the night?"

"_You_ are the thing that goes bump in the night…And what am I supposed to do actually? Stay in the house forever?" Her voice still sounds angry, but at least her heartbeat slowly goes back to normal.

He gives her his best smirk "No, you should take your boyfriend along…"

"Right. I'm sure you would have found hilarity in a girl's night…" she scoffs, but her anger is fading away now as fast as the fear has made it rise.

Leering at her, he pulls her a little closer, and she feels her body starting to melt into his. "It depends on the girls and what they had to offer…" He gives her a gentle kiss that turns into a hungry kiss within seconds, but all of a sudden he breaks off and scoops her up, blurring to his car and tucking her into it; then he blurs to the driver's side, hauls himself on his seat and starts the ignition, and before she has the chance to resist or even say a word the car is moving.

"Whoa…! What the hell, Damon! Where are you going?" Elena is taken aback. She's tired, and it's already late, she has to get up early for school tomorrow, and she just wants to sleep; but one brief glance on Damon's self-satisfied smirk on his face tells her to forget about this idea for at least the next…hour? She sighs, feeling annoyed about not having a say in how she will spend this time; still she has to admit that a part of her secretly loves those surprise attacks.

"Seriously, Damon, where are you going?" she asks, although she knows that she won't receive the required information.

"Surprise, surprise…" he says in a sing-song voice.

"Damon."

_Oh,__ this __one__ again_…"Elena." He mocks. Then he sighs heavily. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I want to show you something…"

"In the middle of the night? Couldn't that wait until tomorrow? I'm tired, and I have to get up early." She doesn't know why she's even trying to convince him; she _knows_ it's pointless.

"Lean back and sleep then…" he offers, clearly enjoying her annoyance; he knows damn well that in the end the other part in her will win her inner battle anyways.

She narrows her eyes when she realizes what he said. "What does that mean, sleep? How long will the ride take?" she demands, slowly getting flustered.

"A few hours…" he answers vaguely.

"What? No, Damon, I have to go to school tomorrow…"

"Ric can write you a note or something…" he says nonchalantly, waving his hand to demonstrate that it's not really important.

"Damon, pull over. I can't skip school tomorrow. Ric won't do that again, he's a teacher, after all…Pull over!" She grabs his arm to emphasize her words, but he doesn't care. "This is kidnapping…"

He gives her a pointed look. "Melodramatic much? No, Elena, this is taking my girlfriend on a road trip."

"Not if you have forgotten to ask for my approval. I mean it, Damon, pull over. We have to turn back." She tries to sound convincing, but despite herself she feels her resistance fading away.

"Or else? Relax, Elena." He grabs her hand and squeezes it gently, his eyes pleading with her now. "I really have to show you something. It's important for me."

He has her there. Seeing that sincere look in his face, she sighs and gives in. "Okay. I'll text Ric…"

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><p>.<p>

For the next hour they are chatting and bantering and fighting over the radio channels as usual, both of them enjoying the presence of the other until Elena falls asleep.

She wakes up when Damon parks the car. She stretches her arms, rubs her eyes and looks around. Her brows rise up when she realizes that they are in a parking garage.

"Where are we?" she asks, suppressing a yawn.

"Richmond."

"Really? Wow, how long was I asleep?"

He reaches over to her and strokes her cheek, with his fingertips at first, then with his palm. "Almost two hours. Come on, let's go." He leans back and grabs a bag.

She nods, and they get off the car. Damon shoulders the bag and takes her hand, holding it tight, bracing himself for the next temper tantrum he is sure will befall him within the next few minutes.

Elena looks curiously around for any sign to show her where in Richmond they are. When she detects one, she incredulously narrows her eyes. "Is that a plane on that sign? Are we…" she jerks to a halt, staring at Damon, eyes wide open now. The only answer she gets of him speaks volumes; he just smirks.

"What the hell are we doing at the airport?" Her voice is calm, but laced with anger, although she doesn't know at all yet what really is expecting her.

Damon drags her along toward the exit. "Let's see…uh, fishing? No, not enough water, I suppose…"

"Damon…" She glares at him now.

"Elena." He never can resist to _that_ one, although he knows he's moving on dangerous ground. He tosses her a side glance, then rolls his eyes and sighs again. "What could we possibly do at an airport?"

Her jaw drops. "You're not telling me that we're gonna _fly_ somewhere?"

He grins and shrugs.

"We're…Where?" She's that puzzled that she even forgets to get angry.

He averts his eyes and answers with as much casualness as he can muster: "Rome…"

"Wha…What?" She's rooted to the spot again. "You're kidding, right? Seriously, Damon…"

He turns to her and sneaks his arms around her waist, gazing into her eyes intently. "I am serious, Elena. We are flying to Rome. I can show you the tickets, if you want to…" He holds her gaze with those mesmerizing eyes, and her resistance falters. Still she objects.

"I can't go to Rome now, Damon. I have to go to school…and I didn't bring along any clothes…"

Damon interrupts her, cupping her face. "School will still be there next week, and we can buy whatever we need in Rome. Um, apart from that…" He pats on the bag, and it's then when Elena realizes that it's a cooler bag. That convinces her more than his words that he's really being serious.

He frowns, pleading with her now. "Just a few days. Do it for me, Elena…just…do it."

These eyes! How could she ever resist these eyes? She breathes in deeply and sighs; then she wraps her arms around him and leans in to gently place a kiss on his lips and pulls back again. "Okay."

His eyes light up and a bright smile appears in his face. Happiness is emanating off of his every pore, and he pulls her in his arms, embracing her tightly.

And all she can think about is how happy she is to be with him.

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><p>.<p>

"Wow!"

Elena stands at the window of their hotel room and looks out, still stunned. She opens the window and leans out a little; she can see the Colosseum from here. She feels his arms slipping around her middle, his chest leaning against her back, his chin resting on her shoulder, and she snuggles into his arms.

"I still can't believe we're here" she says amazed. "Why did it have to be Rome, Damon?"

He holds her tight, thinking back at the day when he pictured them in Rome for the first time; the thought of that day still pains him, and he clutches her even tighter. "Remember the day we defeated Klaus?" he asks her.

She nods; how could she forget about this day?

In a low voice, his cheek still leaning against hers, he goes on. "After we have buried the witch we watched the sun rising. It was…kinda romantic…you were holding my hand …" With the next words his voice hardens. "…while you made your decision to stay with my brother."

Elena winces slightly. The thought of that moment makes her shiver, and she entwines their arms.

"When I realized what you had done," Damon says after taking a deep breath, "I considered the possibility of kidnapping you…" She chuckles, and he can't help but smile, too. "…to bring you here. Since then I always saw us in Rome together, and for the next weeks…this image became somewhat comforting. And then, you…we…" He swallows. "And yet, the picture never left me. I…I don't know…" He shrugs, searching for words to explain his feelings. "I just needed to come here with you…to prove that it's real."

She squirms round in his arms, gently cupping his cheeks with her hands, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"And it had to be a kidnapping…" She smiles. "It is real, Damon. And I can't wait to see all the places you have pictured us in…"

He pulls her closer, captures her lips again with his own, and as the kiss deepens she feels the familiar tingling feeling spreading through her veins. She wonders briefly how it comes that still, after half a year, every kiss makes her body react this way; then her brain shuts down. Damon breaks the kiss, only to trace his lips along her jaw line down to her neck, lingering over her jugular vein for a moment, then moving up a little, brushing her ear.

"I suppose I could not talk you into a postponement?" She feels his husky voice more than she hears it.

"It depends on what you're offering…" she manages to answer, releasing a soft moan as he presses a kiss on the delicate skin behind the tip of her ear. She's seeking for his lips again, giving him a heated kiss as soon as she has found them. He lifts her up easily, his hands holding her hips; she loops her legs around his waist when she hears him groaning into her mouth: "Me." With that he hauls them onto the bed, and neither of them thinks about Rome anymore.

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><p>.<p>

Dusk is already setting in until they have showered. They are not very hungry; Damon has downed one of the blood bags he brought along, and Elena just isn't; maybe she's still too excited to be in Rome. So they decide to stroll down the streets without any destination, taking in the ambience, marveling at the old stand posts that are everywhere to be found, and at the small alleyways where Damon can, spreading his arms, touch the houses on both sides at the same time; they buy some ice-cream despite the cool November weather, and Elena has to snuggle into Damon for not being cold, but – hey, they are in Italy, so they have to eat Italian ice-cream.

They also buy new clothes in some of those wonderful shops, most of them ridiculous expensive, but Damon pays for all of them without batting an eye and, even more remarkable, without using compulsion. In some crazy shops they make a show of trying on things neither of them ever would wear, bursting out laughing each time when they see each other, completely unperturbed by the sales clerks' indignant glances.

Elena is well aware that he wouldn't have done this with anybody else than her, and it makes her all the more happy. They are on their way looking for a drugstore to buy them the missing toiletries when she suddenly throws her arms around his neck and crashes against him; getting up on her tiptoes she kisses him fiercely, not caring about oddly looking passengers. Although surprised, Damon returns it immediately, and they are standing there, forgetting everything around them, getting lost in the feeling to hold each other.

"What was that for?" he asks her with glinting eyes when the kiss has ended up in an embrace.

She smiles at him. "For just being…you."

"That's all? Anytime…" he chuckles softly.

They move on and end up at the Spanish Steps, a long, broad staircase that, according to postcards they have seen, in warm weather is crowded with people just sitting there and eating ice-cream. Now it's not crowded, but there are still a lot of people, and as soon as Damon and Elena sit down on the steps they know why. The view on the illuminated fountain below is beautiful, street musicians are playing nearby despite the coolness, and it feels somehow…right to sit here; his arm glides around her shoulders, and she nestles against him.

"Thank you" Elena says quietly.

Damon doesn't ask; he understands.

He gently squeezes her shoulder and smiles.

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><p>.<p>

He doesn't know why he's awoken. Elena lies securely in his arms, sleeping soundly, everything seems to be alright.

And then he senses it.

She's crying.

Again.

His heart aches for the girl in his arm. She's crying in utter silence, just tears leaving her eyes and tracing down her face, leaving damp stains on his chest. Like she has done often during the past months, at least once a week. And he never knows why.

He never has told her. Sometimes he has asked her whether she has had nice dreams, and she always has wiped the question away, with a smile, a nod or a joke. She never has mentioned a dream that could have made her cry. But when ever he has studied her face afterward he has detected a hint of insecurity. And often he discerns her sneaking glances toward him later.

True, she has been through much, has lost many people she had loved. However, the nightly tears began to fall about three months after the sacrifice…

Damon sighs and tenderly strokes her hair, hoping that deep down she feels the comfort he's trying to give her.

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><p>.<p>

The days and nights spin away.

In Rome, there's something interesting to see at each corner. They walk a lot, and sometimes they take one of the mostly crowded buses. Twice a pickpocket tries to steal Damon's wallet; both times it ends with a broken hand and a pickpocket who doesn't even know why his hand is broken. Both times Elena is mad at him; she thinks that broken bones are a bit much and that actually compelling isn't necessary either, but he shrugs it off.

"Maybe he'll learn to keep his fingers away from other peoples wallets…" he says casually.

Elena scowls at him. "How could he learn something if he doesn't _know_ why his hand is broken?" she snarls. He simply takes her in his arms, twining his arms around her and kisses her, and after a while she has nearly forgotten that she is supposed to be angry.

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><p>.<p>

Those days, they have it all. They are just perfect, and they both know it.

They are heading to their hotel the night before their last day when they pass the Colosseum for the umpteenth time. It looms large in front of them; the illumination is switched off at midnight due to the wintertime. Sadly it's currently closed for the public at that, apparently because of construction works.

"It's a shame that we can't get inside…" Elena sighs.

Damon casts a glance, considering his options. "You would have liked to see the inside?" he asks quietly, and she nods regretful.

He briefly looks around, then he wraps his arms around her middle. "Hold on tight..." he whispers in her ear. Elena looks bewildered, but she does as he has said.

As soon as he feels her arms around him, he leaps them upward, landing securely on one of the window sills. Elena gasps for air, squeezes her eyes shut and clutches him a little tighter; when she realizes that they are standing steady, she reopens her eyes tentatively, and a bright smile settles on her face when she sees where they are.

They are standing on the window sill at the third floor, or what used to be the third floor in the past; all what's remaining from the huge building at this point is in fact the wall with the windows in. She knows she should be afraid to stand on a small window sill high above the ground, but with Damon holding her steady she isn't. She's just thrilled about what she sees; the galleries for the audience and the remainders of the slave quarters which once had been underneath the arena floor let her imagination run wild.

"Can you bring us down there?" she asks excited; to be here all alone in the middle of the night makes it even more thrilling.

"Sure. Otherwise it would've been a dumb move to bring us up here in the first place…That's one of the perks of being a vampire." He smiles, wondering about the side glance she tosses him. At his questioningly raised brows she grins and shakes her head, so he lets it drop. "Hold on to me."

After the soft landing they saunter along the gallery they are now standing on and go downstairs to the arena then. When Damon sees her disappointment that no one is allowed to go down to the slave quarters, he snatches her unceremoniously and leaps them down, being rewarded with a bright smile and a soft kiss on his lips.

Feeling her lips on his, he deepens the kiss for a moment, still holding her in his embrace, and he feels her trembling slightly.

He narrows his eyes and takes a closer look at her; something's off. He has felt it the whole day and especially the night. She's nervous from time to time, distracted by anything that's going on in her mind; sometimes she's lost in thought for a moment, sometimes she sneaks furtive glances at him; and now she's trembling, and he knows she's not cold. He's still wondering if he should bring it up when she slips out of his embrace, taking a few steps away from him, then jerking to a halt.

She stands without moving for a while. He feels his stomach twisting into a knot, and anxiety is creeping through his veins. Whatever it is disturbing her, he knows she's bracing herself to talk to him.

Tentatively he steps closer to her, closing the remaining distance then. A thought of the nightly tears crosses his mind and he swallows. Something is emanating off of her that is close to fear, and he hears her heart racing. He wants to touch her, but he doesn't dare, suddenly too afraid to break something fragile. He waits for her to say something, but it seems as if she doesn't dare either. She needs his help, he can see that. Biting back his own fear, he lays his hands on her shoulder, gingerly, without any weight. When he speaks, his voice is low and tender.

"Tell me."

He can't see it, but he senses it; tears are threatening to spill. He sees her swallowing, and he knows it is an attempt to swallow them back.

"I have these dreams" Her voice is barely more than a whisper. He tenses.

"I know" he says hoarsely. She shifts her head slightly.

"You know?" she whispers.

He lifts one hand to feathery stroke her cheek. "You're crying…"

She nods, her gaze latches on the floor. She breathes in and out, shivery, she's that nervous.

"I'm dreaming of you…"

He doesn't answer. He waits.

She turns around, slowly, searching for his eyes, locking their gazes. "It's always the same dream, just not the same time. You, Stefan and Caroline look always the same, of course, but the others don't. Sometimes they are old, sometimes they are middle aged, sometimes even young. But apart from that, the dream doesn't change."

She grabs his hands now, holding them firmly in her own. "You're at a funeral. My funeral."

He breathes in sharply, but he doesn't flinch.

On the outside.

On the inside, he screams in absolute agony.

This is the definition of nightmare.

It's his nightmare, and he has it every day; during the day, when he's awake. As much as he tries to push it aside. It haunts him. He swallows.

"No wonder you're crying…"

Elena steps a little closer, shaking her head. "No, Damon, you don't understand. I'm not crying because I'm dead in my dream. It's because of you. It's because of what you look like in my dream."

She lets go of his hands and takes his face into her hands for a moment, then she grabs his hands again.

"I have seen you once like this. It was on your mother's grave, the day you wanted to leave. You were…broken. I did this to you. And I never wanted to do that again. But in my dream I keep on doing it. Over and over again."

She can see how much this thought hurts him, although he hides his face behind a well-proven mask; still, he can't hide his eyes, and they have darkened in the overwhelming fear of the day he will lose her for good. And suddenly he can't bear it anymore to be connected to her only by their hands; he lets go of her hands, only to haul her against him, throwing his arms around her and pushing her against him that it almost hurts her.

She doesn't wince. She knows he needs it. To have her as close as possible.

And she needs it, too.

After a while his tension ceases a little, and reluctantly he releases her. She takes his hand and leads him to a wall that is broken down low enough to sit on it, and that's what they do.

She gazes at him, and what she sees is all she needs not to hesitate anymore.

"I got something for you." She says softly, rummaging in her purse, chuckling at the genuine surprise appearing on his face.

"What? It's not my birthday yet…" he stares at her, incredulous; it's long time since anybody had a present for him.

She hands him a small blue box, and he takes it tentatively, looking a little as if he's waiting for a snake to come out and bite him. He holds it in his hands and stares on it, not daring to open it.

"Look, Damon, the present is _in_ the box. You have to open it if you want to know what it is." She grins, and that finally convinces him to open the box. He lifts the lid and peers into it.

His eyes go wide and his jaw drops. He stops breathing, and he is absolutely certain that the world stops turning, the wind stops blowing and the water stops flowing.

Everything grinds to a halt.

His brain does anyways.

He can't think anymore.

He wants to say so many things. How glad he is, and how grateful, and how much easier his life will be now.

What he says then when his mouth finally obeys again is the only thing he didn't want to say at all.

And yet, it is the truth.

"I don't want that."

He gazes at Elena, then his glance drops to the box in his hand again.

On its bottom lies an ancient looking small silver ring.

With an embedded lapis lazuli.

A daylight ring.

She gingerly lays her hand on his arm. "Damon…"

He interrupts her. "I don't want that life for you, Elena" he says, his voice cracking, not completely in control.

"It's my life, Damon. And I want it. It was not an easy decision, but actually I made it already half a year ago. I made it when I decided to be with you. I just needed time to realize it. I told you, I can't walk away from you anymore. Never." She takes his hand, lacing their fingers.

"But you never wanted to be a vampire…" he objects silently, although there's nothing in this world he wishes more for.

"Remember the guy in Atlanta?" she asks calmly.

Finally he lifts his gaze again, searching for hers, locking their eyes. "Lexi's boyfriend?" He snorts at the memory. "Yeah, of course…"

"He told me that if you want to be with one forever, you have to live forever. Back then I didn't want to be a vampire because I didn't have that feeling. But now I have. I want to be with you forever. And I _never_ want to break you again. Not even with my death."

She takes a deep breath. "I'm not ready yet. I still need a little more time, a year or two. But this" she nods toward the box in his hand, "is my promise to you; you will never have to stand at my grave."

Damon holds her eyes a little longer, then he looks down to the box in his hand. He lays it on his leg, takes the ring out, grabs Elena's hand and slips the ring over her middle finger. Then, holding both her hands in his own, he lifts his head, gazing into her eyes again.

"Trust me, Elena, I'm beyond glad that you want to spend eternity with me. But I want you to promise me, that if you ever have doubts, you'll talk to me. I'd rather lose you one day than spend eternity with you hating me because you felt forced into this life."

She squeezes his hands and, holding his gaze, says firmly: "I promise. But I'm sure."

He doesn't want her to change her mind. Not really. But she has to know what the worst part of being a vampire is. "You will watch everyone you love dying; again and again…"

He watches her thoroughly; her eyes drop to the floor and she looks sad now. He can see tears glistening in her eyes. He can tell that she tries to bite them back, but then she lifts her gaze up again, and as soon as their eyes meet, they spill. He knows she's thinking about her parents and about Jeremy, and he feels compassion rising up. He takes her in his arms and holds her tight. He doesn't say a word. There's no need to.

He knows that she understands.

She knows that he understands, too.

When the silent shedding tears ceases, she pulls away to look into his eyes again, taking in a deep breath.

Her voice is steady again, firm. Confident.

"I won't lose you."

He closes his eyes for a moment, and when he opens them again they are filled with everything he's feeling for her.

"I love you, Elena" he says quietly. She doesn't answer, but he sees happiness reappearing in her eyes, and he knows that's all she needs; to know he loves her.

And that's all he needs; to know it's his love that makes her happy.

Forever.

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THE END

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><p>AN: Tell me what you think...


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